After the Break of Dawn
by Kitty T's Keyboard
Summary: Takes place immediately after the Breaking Dawn novel, following Bella and Renesmee's life after the confrontation with the Volturi. Now that things have finally calmed down, Bella is just now getting used to her new life as a mother, wife and newborn vampire. Please review! Cover image is property of Young Kim.
1. Chapter 1

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, They belong to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story**

Chapter 1  
Bella's POV

We sat there in our meadow until the sun had begun to set, lost in each other's eyes; the light reflecting off of Edward's face had changed from silver to a deep orangey-red.

My brain started spinning faster than I could keep up with. How could time pass by so quickly without me noticing? I am a mother now, a concept that is extremely hard to come to terms with when you were only pregnant for a month, and have baby that seems to have grown two and a half years in only five months. But it hasn't been five months for me, it's been one unending day, the first and last day of my life. Would she have changed today? What have I missed while sitting here for 15 hours, unmoving? Does she miss me? Or is her mind already too filled with love for my best friend? I need to get back to her, the fear and anger that the Volturi left with me just days ago rushed back to the surface. All of these thoughts passed through me in one second, and I realized that I was already on my feet.

The way by body seemed to take action so effortlessly still had a tendency to throw me off. How could one ever get accustomed to this? I felt like I was always floating through this dream, or nightmare depending on what day you talked to me. But being with Edward forever was my dream, so I guess I am living in one.

"Bella? Love, what's going on with you? You look exactly like you did the morning after your 19th Birthday." I looked back at him, and he was smiling my favourite crooked smile, but I was too angry now to be thrown back by my 17-year-old husband's beautiful face this time.

"I had no 19th Birthday, I will be 18 forever," I said, slightly growling. Then I stopped abruptly, it wasn't a playful growl, how could I be capable of acting like this to Edward? If I could still cry, I think my eyes would have watered from my frustration. These mood lashes seemed to be getting worse. I was calmed by Edward's hands, one wrapping delicately around my waist, and the other lightly stroking my cheek. I leaned into his hand, closing my eyes. Within seconds he was in my arms, my head against his chest. I'm not sure which one of us moved the other, but I still reminded my body: _careful._

"Mrs. Cullen, I know there is something wrong. Please let me help you." The emotions in his voice put a lump in my throat. He cared so much for me, no, loves me so much, every bit as much as I love him. Seeing me in pain would cause him pain too. I didn't want that.

"I don't know how to explain it Edward, it's just... I feel everything so much more strongly now, it's like my own emotions are attacking me from the inside, it makes it hard to think straight sometimes." I looked back up into his eyes, only inches away from my own. They were so beautiful, so full of love... and the skin around them were no longer reflecting the red light. Panic rose in me again, and I swear that he could see it. "We need to get back to Renesmee," I pleaded.

I could see conflict in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly. "Bella, there is something beating at you from the inside, I can see it. Renesmee is most likely falling asleep on the couch in between Rose and Jacob right now, I assure you she is safe. But I need to know that you're safe. No offense, but sometimes you need to be protected from even yourself, and this was even before I changed you." He smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was being serious, and was trying to be delicate about it. I hated to worry him, I wanted to share everything with him, and maybe he could help. He was a newborn once also. I placed my palms on his cheeks, and breathed in a deep breath of his scent to strengthen myself before trying to peel back my shield.

I felt him shudder as my mind opened to him, and I let him feel everything. My fear for our daughter, the frustration of time slipping by so quickly and dealing with the onslaught of my emotions, the pain of making him worry about me, the feeling of instability that was getting worse. Renesmee again, the guilt of being away from her for so long without realizing. Then I realized this was the longest that I had been able to keep my mind open to him so far, and I appreciated the effort he put in not to break my concentration this time. I had a difficult time keeping my hands off of him too someti—"

His lips crushed down upon mine, and I let him knock us over into the grass. His touch was like a drug to me, the feeling couldn't be compared, and I couldn't get enough. But it was only seconds before my mind snapped back, and he felt the change. He pushed his upper body away from mine, and seemed to be reading my mind, even though it was well locked back down now. He sighed lightly, and pulled us both back up to our feet in one fluid motion. He smiled my favourite smile again, and lightly pulled on my hand. "Race you back to the big house!" He said enthusiastically. Before he could say one, I was dashing through the dark woods, following our own trail back the way we came.

Funny enough, Renesmee was exactly where Edward said she would be. Her head was in Rosalie's lap, and Rose was combing her fingers through Renesmee's curly hair. She was exactly the same as when we dropped her off this morning, to my relief. Her development has drastically slowed down, but it is a mother's duty to worry. They were all watching a movie, well most of them were. Jacob was just staring at my daughter, a dream-like gaze plastered across his face. He snapped out of it when he heard Edward and I walking thought the door, and Renesmee jumped off of the couch.

"Momma!" she yelled, and bounded gracefully across the living room into my arms. She put both of her palms to my cheeks. Edwards and I knew it bothered her a bit that it was impossible to have a private conversation in the big house, what with all the supersonic hearing that everyone had, but she also didn't want to upset any of her aunts and uncles by saying that. She was content with just talking in her special way for privacy. _I missed you! Where did you and daddy go for so long_? I didn't have enough time for my guilt to resurface, because she just sped away with her conversation_. I don't like watching TV, it's so boring, I want to go hunt before bed, but I don't want to go with Aunt Rose or Jake, They're too afraid to let me make a kill, and their stress scares away all the good ones. I want to go with __you__. Daddy can come too, I don't mind. Oh, pretty!_ She plucked a tiny purple flower out of my hair and spun it in her fingers. I smiled, and plucked it back out of her hand. Before she could frown, I swept her hair out of her face, and stuck the flower behind her ear.

"It may be pretty, but nothing is as beautiful as my daughter," I said smiling. As I kissed her cheek, I heard the flash of a camera. I looked over at Alice standing in the doorway, grinning with a camera in her hands. She waved, then disappeared up the stairs.

"Thank you so much Rose for watching Renesmee for us, we're going to head back to the cottage for the night and put her to bed," Edward said. Renesmee was smiling at him. I knew my husband would never let our girl go to bed hungry… or well, thirsty, so she must have asked him not to tell the others. She didn't want a big hunting party. She didn't need her gift to talk with her father, I smiled to myself, and how she is going to hate that fact in a few more years.

Jake jumped up to his feet, "Cool! I'll walk you guys home." He said enthusiastically. I saw Renesmee roll her eyes in my peripherals. And I could hear the smile in Edward's voice as he replied back to him.

"No thank-you Jacob, we would like some family time, if you don't mind."

"Oh... okay. Sure, sure, I gotta get back to the pack anyways…" He mumbled, before slumping out the door. My mood dropped again from the pile of guilt I felt from him, but it was quickly washed away as Jasper glided into the room. He took Renesmee from my arms, and spun her in a circle, kissing her cheek before putting her back into my arms. It was kind of out of place with his character, and I quickly glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye. He had that look about him, and I figured Jasper was trying to distract me from a mental conversation. "Good night, my lovely niece." He told her, and was then joined by everyone else's good night wishes. Renesmee replied back in kind, and we drifted back out the door into the night.

When we did finally get back to our cottage, I had to give Renesmee a bath before bed. She was so tired and full that she almost fell asleep in the tub, but I didn't want her going to bed covered in mud with twigs in her hair. It made me feel a bit better that at least my daughter was a messier eater than I was. I slipped her into her pyjamas, and she was asleep before her head even touched the pillow. I sat next to her on her giant bed and tucked her in, but before I could get up, she rolled over and had her head in my lap, and wrapped her arms around my waist. Smiling to myself, I combed my fingers through her wet hair until it was almost dry, then braided into a long thick rope, slowly, like slower than the pace of a human, just enjoying watching her. It was hard to believe this amazing child was mine, even harder to believe that I had made her. I truly was the most blessed being in the world.

"She loves you more than anything, you know that, right?" I hadn't even noticed Edward come into the room, he was so quiet. He sat down beside me on her bed, but she didn't stir. Even if she was awake, I doubt her hearing could pick up his low voice. "Even more than Jacob, more than even me. You'd think I would be jealous, but the thing is, I can't really blame her, because I love you more than I ever imagined could be possible." He smiled, and softly laid his hand on my thigh. "Can we talk?"

"Does this have to do with what you and Jasper were talking about?" I saw the surprise in his eyes that they'd been noticed. Of course I noticed, he shouldn't keep being so surprised by that.

"Yes, it does, actually." My turn to be surprised, it usually took a bit more work to get things out of him. I lightly unwound Renesmee's arms from my stomach, and slid her head off of my lap. Edward picked me up, I didn't stop him, I loved being in his arms, and we sat down in his favourite chair in front of the fire, me still cradled in his lap. We sat in silence for a while, just staring into each other's eyes. His face became strained after a while, and I tried to smooth away the lines with my fingers.

"Mr. Cullen, please just say what ever it is you want to say, you know you're no good at keeping secrets from me."

"What? Sure I am."

I raised an eyebrow, and smiled seductively at him, unbuttoning the first button on my blouse. A smile lit his entire face, and he threw his head back laughing. I loved the sound, but still had to clap my hand over his mouth. "Shh! You'll wake up Renesmee!"

"I'm sorry, but you were so completely right." He said, still smiling.

"Then spit it out." There goes the smile. I started to worry again, and he saw it. "Are we in danger? Did Alice see something while we were out?" My panic began to rise as my thoughts got more carried away, and he saw it.

"OH, love, no! Our family is fine, no one will come anywhere near any of us, at least not anytime soon. You scared them all way with your bad-ass shield." That unfamiliar look took his eyes again, and it was something that I couldn't figure out. "This is just about you. Jasper felt your guilt today, he was just telling me the extent of it, and letting me know that he was worried about you. I just want you to know, we've all been through being a new born, and we remember how crazy it was, emotionally. You're just so different from what we were all like, and it makes us forget how young you are a lot of the time. We're all here to help you, that's all I wanted to talk about."

"But I'm almost five months old now, and it feels like it's getting worse, not better, shouldn't it be the opposite way around?" I asked him, happy to have finally put my worries into words. "Am I going crazy?"

"No Bella, you are not going crazy," he whispered into my ear. "Would you like to hear a theory I have?"

"I would like to hear anything you say, I love the sound of your voice." I turned in his arms, so that one second I was lying across his lap, and in the next I was straddling him in his chair, a hand on each of his muscular shoulders. I could see the passion burning in his eyes, and the struggle he had with not advancing, it made me smile. After a deep breath, he slid his hand slowly up my thighs, until they rested around my waste, and he continued.

"You've been through so much since you were changed. I don't know how much of that process you are able to remember, but it was pretty horrible. And you had to deal with your thirst, as we all did. But YOU, you worked through that beyond all of our expectations, to see your daughter. Then there was her growth to deal with, it still is, even though it has slowed down so much. Then you had Charlie and Jacob to deal with." There was a low growl that vibrated though his chest at that, but he pushed on." Then there was the Volturi to worry about, even before they new about our daughter,and on top of that, you were dealing with the loss of Alice, dealing alone with her message, and worrying about the deaths of our whole family." I flinched, but he continued." Then, on top of all of that, while raising our daughter, we had all of our witnesses to deal with, and you on top of that, burdened yourself with trying to save everyone with your shield. You had no time to let yourself deal with the fact that you were a new vampire, you didn't have time. Everything was moving too fast. I think the feelings were always there, but just overpowered by your need to save the entire world." He gave me my favourite crooked smile then, and I had to admit… It kind of made sense. "So no, I don't think you're getting worse or going crazy, I think you are far more emotionally advanced than any vampire at your age that I've known. You just need to relax, it will be awhile before you truly adapt mentally to what your life now is. I remember how overwhelming it was."

I let that settle in, and slowly started to smile. After everything I've been through, how could I not have faith in pulling through this? And besides, I have Edward, he would never let any harm come to me, even if it was from myself. I slid my hands slowly up his shoulders and rested them on the back of his neck, but when I really looked at his expression, I saw that there was something else. "What else? What aren't you saying?"

"I think it would be best if we left Forks." He said abruptly.

"WHAT? Why? What else aren't you telling me?"

"Bella, love, I just think it would be the best thing for us, for our family. You, Renesmee and I need time alone, time to be able to grow as a real family."

I noticed that I was starting to hyperventilate, so I concentrated on slowing my breathing. It took a few minutes, and in that time, while he was patiently waiting, I decided what he was saying did make sense but… "Edward," I said calmly, looking him straight in the eyes, " I understand what you're saying, and I do agree with you, but I don't think now is the time. We only just got Alice and Jasper back a few days ago, we still need to heal, as a family. We can't put the rest of our family through this, just days after our almost-death, it would break their hearts. And there's Charlie, he's just starting to get use to everything… I can't leave him now, not yet... I do think it's a good idea, but I don't want to leave Forks, not now, not yet." He sat in silence, watching me for a few minutes. It started to get aggravating. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Whatever it was, he didn't want to say it. But he knew better than to piss me off, so he just ripped off the Band-Aid. "I'm just surprised, because, well... in all of that, you didn't mention Jacob once. I thought that was what your mind would have jumped to first."

"Well, the thing is... before the whole thing with the Volturi started, I was kind of thinking the same thing as you… that the three of us should leave. Of course I thought of Jacob, it will break his heart to be away from Renesmee," But not me, I thought... He wasn't the same as my old best friend, and I'm not the same either. "I do think that Jacob will be great for Renesmee, someday, but I don't think their relationship now is good for her. She will have lived her whole life with him loving her every second, they will be best friends, they will spend every free moment together, and when she does grow up, how will she be able to say anything but yes to someone like that? Even if she doesn't feel the same way about him. What if she's so afraid to break her best friend's heart that she can't tell him she doesn't love him? She won't know any other way, and truthfully, she won't really be making her own decisions."

Edward stared at me wide-eyed for quite a while, but I had meant what I said, I didn't think it would be a healthy relationship, and I was pretty sure Edward would feel the same. He just needed time to think it through the way I had. After a while, he nodded. "I agree, one-hundred percent. When she is old enough, she will make her own decision. Besides, even if we do leave, it's not like they'll never see each other, they will still be friends."

"And I agree with you, we need time alone to be a real family, just not yet."

"Do you know already when you want to leave?"

"Yes, actually, I think I do." It was only about the fourth or fifth of January, so it wouldn't be hard for even a human to remember. "One year. I want one year of normality for our daughter, and our family, and then I think we will be ready to leave."

Edward gazed happily into my eyes, and nodded. "That is perfect with me, after New Year's Day, we'll decide what to do. Let's just be happy for now, together."

"I'd like that, very much," I whispered, pressing my chest up against his. His arms became a vice around my waist, and I slowly brought my lips to his, but stopped less than a millimeter away. "Now," I whispered, my lips brushing against his as I spoke. I felt him shiver as I ran my hand up the back of his neck, and gripped his hair, "If this conversation is done... I believe you said something about relaxing…"

His growl sent ripples of pleasure through my entire body, and before I knew we had moved, my back was slammed onto the smooth wooden floor, and Edward was all there was in my world.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 2  
Renesmee's POV

When I woke up the sun was shining through my window. Two sunny days in a row! I felt lucky; this was a rare thing in Forks. I always feel happy now, my family is safe, the Volturi are gone, and they have no reason to hurt my family now.

I was a bit surprised, normally my parents burst into my room as soon as I'm awake, or even before I am sometimes. I love them so much, but being in a huge family of vampire's can be a bit smothering sometimes. But still, where were—"

"Right here, Renesmee. We knew you were feeling kind of smothered, so we thought we'd give you some space," my father told me, as he silently appeared beside my bed. My heart slowed back down, and I relaxed a bit. I guess all of the crazy from the past few months is still affecting me. My dad laughed, "You are so much like your mother…" He kissed me on my forehead, and disappeared out of my room again. Literally, he just disappeared. He was there one second, and gone the next. Living with all of these speeders is going to give me a complex. I heard my dad bark out a laugh at that, followed by my momma asking what he was laughing at.

"Our daughter can be quite the comedian sometimes." He said gently. I followed their voices to the living room, where I found my dad sitting in his favourite giant armchair, with my mom curled up in his lap. The sight of them together still stopped me in my tracks sometimes. They're just so beautiful. My dad was so tall, with thick wavy hair almost the exact color of mine. He was wearing his usual light beige colored pants and sweater, with a white dress shirt- his usual colors- that made his eyes stand out so much. And then there was my momma, she's not like my aunts at all when it comes to clothes, she was wearing light-coloured blue jeans, with a simple yet pretty white blouse. Her hair was super thick, really long, and so dark brown that it usually looked black, but not today. The sun was shining down on them through an open window, the light reflecting off of them reflected all over the room, lighting it up, and the sun made momma's hair look almost red. As I thought that, my daddy looked up from the book they were sharing at her, smiling greatly. It wasn't their clothes or hair or anything like that that made them so beautiful though. I have never seen anyone more in love than my parents are, and it showed in their faces so much. My mom looked up at my father, then over at me, and when she smiled, I knew she loved me just as much as him.

"Good morning Renesmee, why don't you come sit with us?" I smiled, and jumped across the room in one giant leap, landing in my mom's outstretched arms. She hugged me tightly, kissing my forehead, and both of my cheeks.

"Good morning Momma, morning Dad!" I said, and my dad leaned over my mom to kiss my forehead too. My mom seemed a lot happier today than she's been in a while, it made me even happier. I looked out the corner of my eye to see my dad nod once.

"What would you like to do today sweetie?" Mom asked. I thought about it for a minute before replying. "We haven't seen Grandpa Swan in a few days, can we go visit?" I loved my grandpa so much, I didn't even mind that I wasn't allowed to actually speak to him. I obviously don't look like a five-month-old, what good was pretending I couldn't speak doing?

"That sounds wonderful, I'll give him a call and make sure he's free" momma told me, as she stood up and placed me on my dad's lap. She walked into her bedroom, and I heard her start to dial on the phone her and my dad shared.

"I think you have a point about Grandpa Charlie," my dad told me, catching my attention. I looked up at him in surprise, "Your Mom said the same thing last night. So, you can talk to him if you want, just don't say the word vampire, and we should be good" he said laughing.

"And no pictures yet, you don't want to overwhelm him" my mom finished for my dad, and smiled at him.

"He said yes! We're going?" I jumped off of my dad's lap and started dancing around the room. My parents chuckled.

"Yes, we'll head over after they have lunch, unless you want to clam chowder with everyone else" she said teasingly. I made a gagging sound.

"No thank-you!" I replied, and bounced back to my room. My mom followed me, but my dad stayed in the living room laughing at me. I pulled open the doors to my giant walk-in closet, and started dancing through the racks, looking for what I wanted.

"What do you feel like wearing today sweetie?" My mom asked. I'm glad she won't let Alice come over and dress me in the mornings like before she left anymore. She never let me decide, and it's impossible to win an argument with Aunt Alice. My mom lets me choose for myself though.

I knew what I wanted, but couldn't find it. "I want to dress like you!" She looked down at her clothes, like she had forgotten what she was wearing, please, as if vampires forget anything, and then sniffed the air. Within about thirty seconds, she was standing in front of me with a white cotton t-shirt, a white blouse, and light-coloured blue jeans. She helped me get dressed, then brushed my hair. She put her hers up in a messy bun, and I got her to do the same to mine.

"It's supposed to snow today, and it's going to be cold. You need to pick a jacket too." I ran to the back of my closet and grabbed my favourite. It was a purple leather coat with silver buttons, and I threw it to my mom. She paused looking at it, then me, and frowned. "I'm sorry Renesmee, but I don't think this will fit you anymore."

"But I just wore it three weeks ago! It was perfect!" I pulled it out of her hands, and put it one. I could zip it up, but it was uncomfortably tight, and the sleeves were a little short. I felt my eyes water a bit, it was my favourite.

My mom knelt in front of me, and placed her hands on my shoulders. "That's the one we got in Port Angeles, right?" I just nodded. " It's only eight now, we can go see if they have anymore in st—"

My mom was cut off by Alice bursting through my door.

"Of course I would love to go shopping with you guys Bella!" Alice danced around my room, and started making my bed for me. My mom must of decided to invite her before she even offered to take me. " Yes, yes, I know. It's going to be a quick one because of your visit to Charlie, we can run there, it will only take twenty minutes. The store won't be open until ten, and it will be sunny until about then before it snows. Plus ,I saw you getting pulled over on your way back because of speeding." My mom threw her head back laughing, and she tackled my aunt with a huge hug. She must of seen it coming, but my mom was too fast for her to avoid. "Alice! I missed you so much while you were gone! You're an amazing sister." They laughed, and when they got up, my Aunt looked over my outfit. I was a bit surprised when she didn't comment, and told us she'd meet back at the big house before disappearing out my window.

I walked hand in hand with my mom back out to the living room. My dad looked up as soon as we came in, his eyes flickering back in between the two of us, and he smiled his amazing crooked smile. He went back into his bedroom, and came out wearing an outfit that was really close to ours. Mom smiled, and he picked her up, spinning her in two full circles before kissing her. "Would you like to take point, Renesmee?" My dad offered. I nodded and dashed out of the house, following our usual trail. I could hear my parents behind me, keep pace but letting me lead, and after a minute I heard the familiar sound of Jake's giant paws running beside me.

"Good morning Jake!" I shouted out, he barked back. In another minute, we were at the river, but I didn't stop for my mom to pick me up. I took a giant leap, and like I knew she would, she caught me in mid-air as I was falling short by about 6 meters. She landed on a giant rock sticking out of the river, and made it to the shore in one small leap. I was laughing my head off, and I saw her smile. My dad and Jake didn't find anything funny about it.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen!" Oh no, he used my full name, I'm in trouble. "Oh yes, you better believe you're in trouble. We told you not to try and clear river, you're too small, and you could have gotten hurt!" My dad almost shouted.

"Come on dad, I knew mom would catch me, and I probably would of broken any rock that gravity tried to drop me on." I said innocently, batting my eyes and sticking out my lip the way I saw my mom do when she wanted something. It didn't work, but my mom found it very funny. "Mom! Please tell him I'm right!"

She looked at me for a second, and then laughed even harder. "No way sweetie. I saved you from gravity, you can deal with your father." She kissed my cheek, and then headed into the big house, leaving me with my dad and Jacob. Jacob's eyes flickered between the two of us, and then he quickly dashed away into the woods. Phew, he's going to phase and help me.

"No, he isn't. He's gone back to finish his patrol; he knows you're not in danger." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know you weren't in danger, it's just, ahhh… I'm your father, I'm always going to worry about you, can you please just not give me more things to worry about?" I could see now that I had caused him pain, and I felt bad for it. I hugged his legs. "I'm sorry Daddy, I'll be more careful... but it was really fun, like flying!" His face lightened back to its usual setting, and he scooped me up into his arms to carry me inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 3  
Bella's POV

I heard their conversation outside, and was happy seeing them walk in smiling. I knew he wasn't really mad; we all just need a moment to straighten out our emotions some times. I also guessed he was still scarred by the image of me cliff diving when I was human, but there is no need to bring that up. It's a hard time for me to think about too. I went over and kissed his cheek, then we both leaned in and kissed Renesmee's cheeks at the same time. That's when I heard the click. It was Esme with the camera this time, and she was glowing with happiness. It had worried her for a very long time that Edward hadn't found love, and it made her so happy that he wasn't the only single one now. "You all match! So lovely, put Renesmee down so I can get one of all three of you standing!" One actually turned into a dozen, but unlike me, my daughter loves having her picture taken.

After the photo shoot, Edward gave Renesmee a piano lesson. I baked some cookies to take over to Charlie's later. It was my first time cooking as a vampire, and a taste test didn't work, everything tasted like dirt. I had to just trust that following the recipe to the T would make them good. At least they looked pretty. It took a while for Edward to let us go, it bothered him that Alice couldn't see when we went out with Renesmee, but I reminded him that between her and I, nothing would be able to get through us to her, or me. The clouds had just started to cover the sky when we left the house, but the weather was still very nice, and we let Renesmee run on her own. The sky was completely covered by the time we got to Port Angeles, so we slowed down to a human pace when we got to the edge of the city. It took about thirty minutes to walk at that pace to get to the right store. Renesmee really didn't like crowds, so I carried her on my hip most of the way. All the stares we got didn't help much either.

We found the jacket, thankfully, and Alice bought one in every size. My daughter is going to be spoiled, but I can't help the fact that it makes me so happy to give her what she wants. As we were walking out the store, Alice froze in the middle of the isle, her eyes glazed over. "Alice!" I hissed quietly, "What do you see?" She snapped back to reality, took Renesmee from my arms, threw all the coats but the smallest into my arms, and shoved me behind a shelf. I froze, because I knew that she knew what she was doing. Then I heard foots steps running up to her.

"Cullen!" I knew the voice, but at the same time, I didn't. It was off. Definitely human, not delicate and artistic like a vampire's voice. "Fancy meeting you here, back for winter vacation I take it?"

"Hi Mike. Yes I am, actually. Why are you in a girl's department store?" Mike Newton. I haven't seen him since my wedding. I knew I couldn't let him see my new face, but I still kind of wanted to. It's been so long since I've talked to any of my human friends…

"Getting a Birthday present for Jessica. Who's this with you?" He knelt down to Renesmee's face. "Hi little lady, I'm Mike. What's your name?" She looked up at Alice, and she nodded. "R-r-r-Renesmee" She whispered shyly. Mike got a weird look on his face, but didn't say anything about her name. "Your eyes are exactly like those of a friend of mine, you kind of remind me of her" He smiled, then stood up and looked back at Alice. "How is Bella doing? Is she down for break too?"

"No, she stayed in Alaska with Edward. First Christmas as a married couple you know… Well we got to get going, take care Mike." She was out the door as soon as the words were out of her mouth, and I went around, staying clear of Mike, and met her out there.

"Thank you Alice, I'm sorry that you had to do that." I did feel bad, not just about this, but all the work our family would have to go through to deal with my story while we stayed here.

"I didn't see him until he was right there, and I was concentrating so hard on it…" It didn't even seem like she heard me, she was whispering to herself, thinking out loud.

"Who was that Momma?" My guilt trip was distracted by my daughter's question. She walked up to me when Alice put her down, and wrapped her arms around my left leg. Her big brown eyes shining with curiosity.

"That was Mike Newton, he went to High School with us."

"High School? Us as in you and Aunt Alice? What did you guys do there?"

Then the stream of questions began, it reminded me of the first few weeks that Edward and I really started to spend time together, when we were actually just new friends. Edward and I were always more than just friends though, from the first moment we saw each other. I put Renesmee on my back, since we were going to have to run a lot faster to get home on time and talked while we ran. Alice stayed behind us, still utterly lost in her own mind. She needed Jasper, and we would be home in fifteen minutes.

"Not just the two of us, your father too. The three of us were in the same grade, and Uncle Jasper, Uncle Emmet and Aunt Rosalie were in a grade above us. It's a place where humans go to be educated before they're old enough to work." That seemed to be the easiest way to explain it, but of course it wasn't enough for Renesmee, she was smart, and wanted to know everything.

"But you're not a human, couldn't they tell?" She asked kind of smugly. I had often wondered how more people hadn't realized their secret too, it's not like they really blended in.

"Well, at the time your mother was a human. Your father, and the rest of us, were there to keep up appearances. We can only stay in one place for a few years before humans start to realize we're not aging, and get suspicious. The younger we pretend to be, the longer we can stay, so when Carlisle starts a new job, the rest of us go to high school and try to blend in, because that's what teenagers do, they go to school." Alice had chimed in for me, it seemed she had finally gotten out of her cloud of thought.

Renesmee was quiet for a minute, thinking of something, then a smile lit her face. She put her palm on my cheek. _Momma, is that where you met daddy?_

"Yes it was sweetie. Your Dad and I met in high school," I added on the end, for Alice's benefit. She smiled to herself, and by that time we were coming up to the river. Alice stopped when I did, and I gave her all of the coats, telling her to go ahead and to give us a minute. She leaped over alone and ran into the big house.

"What's wrong Momma? Did I ask something wrong?"

"Not at all sweetheart, never be afraid to ask me a question. I think curiosity is the best tool for learning." I smiled brightly at her, and she responded with one even brighter. It scares me sometimes how quickly her mind has developed, but I was even more proud than scared. She was probably smarter than half the humans I know already. "I just wanted to have some fun." I picked her up by the waist, lifting her over my head, and spinning her in a great circle. She laughed as I ran back into the woods, her still held high above my head, making aeroplane noises. She definitely was not expecting me to run back and jump over the river with her held like that. She flung out her arms and squealed with delight, and couldn't stop laughing even when I set her down on the porch. Jacob came out of the words, barking his wolfy laugh.

"Hey Jake! We're heading over to Charlie's in a minute, would you like to phase and come with us?" I offered to him. He barked at me and Edward appeared at my side, holding a Jacob sized shirt in his hand. Jacob smiled and caught the shirt in his mouth before running back into the woods. Edward leaned over our giggling daughter and held her in his arms, and Jake was back in under a minute.

"I'd love to Bells! And man, that looked like fun, you'll have to take me sometime soon!" He said jokingly, but I called his bluff. In half a second, the enormous boy was in my hands, over the top of my head, yelling at me and flailing his arms and legs. "Put me down! I was kidding, your hands are freezing! Bella, stop!" I heard laughter coming from all floors of the big house, one wolfy laugh in the woods not far away, and next to it the ever-criticizing growl of Leah. Jake couldn't do a thing against my strength, and in only ten seconds we were flying over the river and back again, before I dropped him on the lawn, shaking. I smiled angelically at him. "Come on Jake, don't be such a girl. Do you need another pair of shorts?" I joked. He glared at me, but after half a minute it melted into his warm familiar smile, the smile of my best man, I had missed it.

We all piled into the Volvo to the men's disappointment. They always wanted to take my Ferrari, but I reminded them that we were suspicious enough as it is. I handed the plate of cookies to Renesmee, and her nose crinkled at the smell of them. "I know sweetie, but if I gave them to Jake to hold, there would be none left by the time we got to Grandpa's." I smiled at my friend, who sure enough had eyes only for the food, then looked back to my daughter. "It is now your duty to protect these defenseless cookies from the wolves, until they are safely in the home of the Chief of Police." She smiled at me, and then turned to glare at Jacob. She tried to wrap her arms around the plate protectively, but it was too big. I turned back around to stare at Edward's beautiful face as we drove, and my thoughts were periodically broken into by the sounds of my daughter lightly slapping away Jacob's hand.

**Author's note: Hey guys! I know the story starts out pretty slow, but I think after all that they're been through, this family deserves a little normality. Don't worry, it will pick up. This is my first time posting material online, and I'm making it up as I go. Reviews are welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 4  
Bella's POV

I didn't really notice when we pulled up by Charlie's house, but that wasn't my fault. Edward wasn't even looking at the road, just staring into my eyes with a lost look on his face. But I did hear the engine cut off and the key being pulled out of the ignition. I smiled at my husband, and leaned in to give him a light kiss, then spun out of the car. Jacob had already taken Renesmee out, and was carrying her up the walkway. She was laughing, trying to hold the plate of cookies out of his reach. Charlie must have heard from inside, because he beat our human pace to his door. "Oh wow kid! It's nice to see that you haven't grown another foot in the last 5 days!" he said jokingly.

"Grandpa!" She shouted, as she pushed herself out of Jake's arms and ran to hug his legs. He was frozen in shock, hearing her voice for the first time. I couldn't really blame him, she had such a beautiful voice, but I was still worried for his heart. I looked to Edward, and he nodded to me, signalling that he was fine. It only took a minute for his face to turn into a brilliant smile, and he leaned down to pick her up and hug her.

"Oh wow, did you bake these for me? They smell delicious!" He told her, taking the plate from her tiny hands, also holding them away from Jake, who sighed in defeat.

"Nope! Momma made them for you before we went shopping! I got a new coat because my last one was too small, but it's my favourite! So Aunt Alice bought me one in every size!" We settled down in the living room, and it was close to impossible to get a word into their conversation. Renesmee had been building up a lot of things to say to him, and wanted to get through all of it today it seemed. I sat on Edwards lap in one of my dad's armchairs, and watched the two of them chat away. Jacob sat next to my father and daughter on the couch, shoveling cookies into his mouth.

I knew Renesmee and my dad wouldn't be able to hear me if I talked quietly enough, so I decided to tell Edward about our shopping trip. "Well, it doesn't sound like there was any harm done,"he said. "I don't think we need to worry about this, but…"

"I know," I finished for him, "I don't think it's safe for the family for me to go into Port Angeles, even Seattle, and especially Forks. Not if I have Renesmee with me. I'm sure Alice would of seen him if it was just the two of us" I said sadly. He nodded, and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer into his chest. Within a minute though, I got over it, and strained to peel my shield off of my mind, so Jacob wouldn't hear me. _It's only for one year_, I thought to him, before he gripped me so hard that it broke my concentration. He knew how much it bothered me to kiss in front of my dad, and that it probably bothered my dad even more. The effort it took to do that made me feel almost tired, and I just relaxed into him while he played with a lock of my hair. Renesmee's conversation hadn't died down in the slightest, she would sleep well tonight. I spent most of the afternoon telling Edward of her questions this morning, and reminiscing with him about when we first met in whispers.

Sue came over later in the evening to start cooking dinner for Charlie, which seemed to be their new routine. Seth and Leah came with her, but as soon as Leah smelled us, she turned around and booked it into the woods to phase.

It seemed a bit late for dinner to me, and I spoke my thoughts to Edward. "They do normally eat earlier," he told me, and then smiled slightly, "but Charlie knows by now that we always leave when they start dinner, so he asked Sue if she wouldn't mind eating later tonight." To support that, I heard my dad's stomach rumble, but he ignored it. I went into the kitchen then to help Sue. She told me I could peel the potatoes, and she gaped with an open mouth at me as I did the whole bag in two minutes. I smiled at her as I handed back the potato peeler and noticed the handle was bent into the shape of my grip. "Oops, sorry about that, I'll pick up a new one for him."

" T-t-That's quite alright dear" she said, patting my shoulder. "I can finish the rest myself, thanks for your help." She then turned around and went back to work. I left, feeling bad for scaring her, it's just so hard trying to remind myself to be so slow around them all the time.

When I went back into the living room, Renesmee was fixing the clock on my dad's cable box for him. My husband was quietly laughing, and I did too when I saw the expressions of Charlie and Jake's faces. I guess Jake couldn't figure it out either. "Okay Renesmee, I think it's time to say bye to Grandpa, we should head back home." I wanted to give Leah enough time to come back in before dinner was done, I doubted she would of come into Charlie's small house while we were still here, and I didn't want her missing meals. My daughter then rolled her eyes, a mirror image of her father, before hugging Charlie and kissing his cheek. Then she jumped into Jacob's and did the same. He was staying for dinner. "Thanks for having us over, Dad."

"You guys come back soon" he said, walking to the door with his granddaughter in his arms. It always put a smile on my face seeing them together. She had tired herself out, but was trying hard not to show it. He handed her over to Edward, and gave me a hug. "I love you, Bells. Have a good night."

Even these happy emotions seemed to hit me so hard, I thought to myself as we drove home. But after my talk with Edward yesterday, it didn't seem as heavy. This was my life now, a more wonderful life then I could ever have wished for. No one had as much as I have, and now my entire family was finally safe. The thought made me smile.

"What are you thinking about?" I looked around to my husband. He had that look he always got while trying to figure out what was going through my mind. He didn't look worried anymore though, just curious. I leaned in and kissed him.

"Just how lucky I am."

We pulled into the Cullen's giant garage to park the Volvo, and Rosalie was under one of her cars, doing an oil change it looked like. She had the car propped up on one of her knees, and was just screwing a new filter on. "You should have parked it outside with the windows open," she said with a smile as she slid out from underneath, but she stopped talking as soon as she saw that Renesmee was asleep. We all walked in the house together, and Edward went and put Renesmee up in his old bedroom to sleep for the night. The majority of it was still occupied by that giant bed he bought before the newborn battle.

The whole family was sitting on the main floor, though kind of scattered. Esme and Carlisle were sitting together sharing a book, Rose was sitting in an armchair reading a new parts magazine, and Emmet and Jasper were watching a football game on the giant flat screen. I went to sit next to Alice on the couch; I had an idea that she would love to help with. I just had to ask Edward—

"Oh Bella! That's a great idea! Edward, you wouldn't mind if we turned your old bedroom into a second one for Nessie, would you?" she asked as he came down the stairs. It still irritated me a lot when I heard Jake's stupid nickname, although I had to admit that it was pretty catchy. My anger washed away and was replaced with a wave of calmness very quickly though. I looked over at Jasper, who winked at me.

"No, not at all. Most of my things are at the cottage already anyways." He sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap, and Rose came to discuss shopping plans with us.

"The thing is, we can't bring Renesmee with us if I'm going. Alice won't be able to see ahead of time if we're going to run into someone I know." Alice agreed, she had already told everyone what had happened this morning. "I know she would love to pick out her own things."

"We have great taste, we can just make it a surprise, she'll still love it" Rose added. Esme flitted into the room.

"How about Carlisle and I watch her for the day, and you girls can go a bit further away, like Seattle, for a bigger shopping selection. We'd love to have her to ourselves for a while. The boys can go do that deep sea 'fishing' trip they've wanted to do for a while." That got Emmett's attention, he and Jasper immediately started thinking of the different types of prey they wanted to hunt for in the ocean. We made our arrangements, and our trip was completely planned before Edward told me that Renesmee was waking up.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 5  
Renesme's POV

It was really rainy when I woke in my dad's old bedroom, I must have fallen asleep in the car on the way home. I walked over to the far wall of the room, which was all glass, and pressed my ear up against it. I loved the sound of the rain. The drops made different musical sounds on every surface they hit: the glass, the wood paneling of the house, the grass, the gravel… Altogether it made the most intricate piece of music you could ever hear. Even my dad wouldn't be able to replicate this piece.

"You're right, I've tried." I didn't jump; I was too use to my family popping up out of nowhere. My dad sat down on the edge of my bed, and picked up a pen and notepad from the shelf next to us. He took a half second to write something, and then handed the paper to me. It read:_ I'm going to pick up a present for your mother today, would you like to come?_ I looked up at him, and he tapped his ear. My mom must be downstairs. I have great hearing, but my mom's was better, and she would hear anything that was said in the house. _Yes!_ I thought. It was really fun driving with my dad, mom drives like an old human woman whenever she's with me. _Where are we going?_

"I'll tell you when we leave," he said with a smile. As he opened the door, my aunt Alice blew in.

"Oh Nessie! I have a great outfit for you to wear today, I picked up a few for when you stay over!" My aunt helped me get dressed, and I had to admit I liked what she bought. I had light grey leggings, a beige skirt, and a really pretty teal colored blouse that had roses embroidered along the bottom in black, with some awesome black boots that looked water-proof. She handed me an umbrella the exact color of my skirt. I was relieved, I love the rain, but I do NOT like getting my hair wet. When she was done, I spun around in a circle and she took some pictures. She showed me one on the digital camera's screen, and I smiled, I looked good. "I was a bit worried it wouldn't fit anymore, your growth has really slowed down" she said happily. I know that it had really scared my family, my growth, but after meeting Nahuel, we knew that it would stop in 7 years. I hope I didn't look as old as him when I stopped. He didn't look that old really, maybe 25, but I thought it would be weird looking older than my parents.

"Well we'll find out soon, it's Monday. Grandpa always measures me before he goes to work on Mondays." We walked out of my dad's room, and sure enough, Grandpa was waiting in his office for me. My mom and dad were with him.

"Good morning Renesmee," Grandpa said. I walked up to him and held out my arms, he immediately started taking his regular measurements.

"Morning," I said back. He finished, and I watched as he put his measuring tape away. He looked at my dad.

"Yes, we thought so," my dad told him, answering one of his thoughts. I didn't like half conversations, especially if it was about me. "Sorry Renesmee, it's just that it appears your growth rate has decreased, more than we were expecting it to. We're not sure why." Dad turned back to face Carlisle. "There are many possibilities, it could be due to the fact that she's been on an all-animal diet for a while, she hasn't had donated human blood in over two months now. Or maybe she isn't growing to the same age that Nahuel did. We could plan a trip to the Amazon to visit and ask him a few questions."

"Both of those are quite possible," Grandpa replied, "Maybe there is a connection between the parent's ages and the child's, his mother and Joham could very well be much older than you and Bella…" They continued to speculate, and I looked at my mom.

She was staring at me, with a smile on her face, but she looked like she was going to cry. I knew she wouldn't be able to though, vampires can't cry. I jumped into her arms, and put my palms on her face. _What's wrong momma?_ I asked her, while showing her how much I was worried about her. She just shook her head, and kissed my forehead. I then showed her that I was okay with what Carlisle said, I knew she was always worried about me for silly reasons. "No sweetie. I'm just happy. _Very_ happy. I've always just wished that I could give you a longer, more normal, happy childhood, and now there's a possibility that you have that chance." The emotion in her voice made my eyes water, I had never thought about how hard it must be for her to see the only child she could ever have to grow so quickly. I smiled at her, and tried to show her how happy it made me also. _I'm in no rush to grow up, I'm happy too. I love you, Momma_. She hugged me, and whispered into my ear, "I love you too Renesmee, more than my own life."

My mom and Dad took me hunting after that, there was a break in the rain, and I wanted the fresh air, even though I wasn't really thirsty. Jasper came with us too; he seemed to be following my mom around. I thought it was a bit strange, because he went hunting with the rest of the family yesterday while we were at Grandpa Swan's. My dad lifted me up and whispered in my ear, "Yes, they did go yesterday, but your mom is so happy right now that she's just pulling him towards her without knowing it. And so am I." He kissed me on the cheek and put me back down. Of course it would have made him happy too to know I was growing more slowly. He tapped my nose and smiled. "That, and seeing your mother so happy, makes me happy also." He turned and we watched her take down a second deer. Mom was hungry this morning, unlike me. I couldn't finish my small deer. My mom did that for me, and then we were good to go.

While we were running back, mom spent awhile trying to get dad to tell her where we were going. She got nothing from either of us. When we got back, Jake ran up to us from the edge of the woods in his human form, and I met him half-way, jumping into his arms. "Good morning kiddo!"

"Jake! Guess what! Grandpa Carlisle said my growth has slowed down, they don't think I'm growing as fast as Nahuel and his sisters anymore!" He looked at me, stunned, for a couple minutes.

"Edward, is that true?"

"Of course it is! You don't believe me? You have to ask my dad also?"

"Woah! Slow down kiddo, you have your mom's temper, that's for sure. It's just a surprise that's all." He looked at me with a weird look, and for a quick second looked disappointed. I heard my dad growl, and Jake's expression turned to one of fear.

"Jacob, she may look and act a lot older, but she is barely five months old. Bella and I are very happy with this news. If I catch anything close to that thought again, you will never be allowed near her." My mom sped to my dad's side, and put a restraining arm around his waist, but she looked even angrier than him.

"Edward, it wasn't like that!" He looked at me, and put me down. When he looked at my father, I could tell he was speaking to him mentally. My mom took me inside.

Mom asked me to play her a song on the piano, uncle Jasper sat near us too, most likely to calm her down. We sat there for about fifteen minutes before the two of them came inside. I was relieved to see that they were happy again, well, dad still looked a bit annoyed, but that was better than angry. My mom appeared by his side, and after a moment of whispering faster than I could understand, my mom seemed to relax, and then smiled at Jake too.

I wasn't sure if I was pushing my luck, but I missed Jake. He was my best friend, and in the past two weeks since the Volturi left, he's been spending a lot of time doing extra patrols. _Dad_, I thought, _can Jake come with us too?_

He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, then relaxed as mom kissed him on his cheek, smiling. "Yes, I suppose. We'll need an extra hand anyways."

_Thank you Daddy!_ I shouted in my mind as I ran over to Jacob. I stretched out my arm, and he leaned his face into my palm_. Daddy and I are going to pick up a gift for my mom, but it's a surprise, don't say anything. Want to come?_ He looked over at dad, who nodded to him, then smiled. "I'd love to. I just finished my patrol too; I'm off for the rest of the day."

Mom looked a bit annoyed, but didn't say anything. She kissed my forehead, and then gave my dad a longer one. "Come back soon, Mr. Cullen" I heard her whisper to him.

"Always," he replied, before spinning her. He dropped her in a low dip, and kissed her again. She looked kind of flustered after that, and the three of us headed down to the garage.

After my dad opened the door, he grabbed one of the many keys off of the wall, I didn't see which one. "This is my favourite room in this house, I could spend all day in here" Jacob said dreamily, as he walked by my dad's Vanquish. He was so distracted, that he didn't see the lights flash when my dad unlocked the car.

"Shot gun!" I shouted, running up to mom's Ferrari.

"Aw man! Common Ness, you can barely see over the dash anyways!"

"You're right" dad said. I was about to frown when he threw me a giant cushion to put on the seat. I stuck my tongue out at Jake, and held the front seat back for him as he climbed into the backseat. "Love you Daddy" I told him with a giant grin, and he winked at me. We drove for a couple hours. I didn't really pay attention to where we were going; I just watched the trees rush by us, until we came up to a Ford dealership.

"Please tell me you're not buying her _another_ vehicle" Jacob moaned.

"I'm not, just renting her one" My dad said with a smile. I stayed in the car with Jake as my dad went inside, it was pouring out.

"Did you go to High School Jacob?" I don't think he was expecting me to say anything, because he jumped at the sound of my voice.

"Yeah… Where'd that come from?"

"My Mom was talking to me about it. She met my Dad there. Is that where you guys met too? Did you graduate with them? Mom showed me lots of pictures of her graduation, and you were in some of them."

"No... I met your mom when I was about your age… Well the age you look anyways. At least that's what my dad told me. My dad and your Grandpa Swan are best friends. And as for graduation, I haven't done that yet."

"You haven't graduated yet?"

"No, I stopped going to school after I phased. And I went to a different school then your parents, one on the reservation."

"Oh… Do you miss it?"

"Honestly? Not really. I hated sitting in a classroom all day. I'd much rather spend time with you" he told me. From the smile on his face, I could tell he was being honest.

"Do you... Do you think I could go to school someday?"

My question seemed really hard for him to answer; he just stared at me for a few moments with an expression that I couldn't name. "I really don't know Ness, that's something you'll have to discuss with your parents" he said quietly. That's when my dad pulled up beside us in my mom's rental "gift."

It was a giant silver F150, with a full cabin and extended bed. The thing was monstrous, and I couldn't really picture my mom driving it. My dad materialized in the Ferrari's driver's seat again. "Your Mom's first vehicle was a truck, actually. I think she might like this one. She needs the space to move some stuff this weekend. Speaking of which," He turned to face Jacob. "This weekend, Renesmee is staying with my parents alone. The girls are going up to Seattle, and we're heading to the coast for a day, maybe two. Alice doesn't see anything going wrong, but she can't see Renesmee's future as you know. Bella and I were hoping you could up your packs patrols while we're away."

Jacob's face took on that determined look that he always got when it came to pack business, or my protection. It seemed like his life goal was to keep me safe sometimes. I know he's my mom's best friend too, but it still seemed kind of odd sometimes to me. My dad gave me a stressed look, and then looked back to Jacob when he began talking. "Of course. I'll talk to Sam too, his pack will have no problem picking up the slack around the reservation. I'll move Embry over onto your land with Seth and Leah."

"Thank you Jacob. Here, take this." He tossed the key to the Ferrari to him.

"No way! Bella won't mind?"

"Hah, I highly doubt it. You can even take her for a little joy-ride if you want. Renesmee, do you want to drive back in the truck or Ferrari?"

"I want to see the new truck!"

Jake sped away on his own route back, taking advantage of my dad's offer. We stopped at a small party store on the way back, where he bought a giant blue bow. "I thought it was just a rental?"

"It is, but presentation is an important thing Renesmee." He told me. I think he just liked to see the expression on my mom's face when she got presents. She didn't care for big showy things like this.

Sure enough, when we pulled into the driveway, she was staring wide eyed. My dad helped me out from the driver's seat, and she took me into her arms. It was a habit she had from since I was born, holding me seemed to calm her. I didn't mind at all. My dad handed her the keys.

"Edward… Please tell me you didn't buy me _another_ vehicle" she said, echoing Jacob's words from earlier. It made me smile.

"Don't worry love, it's only a rental. We have it for two weeks, I thought you could use the extra space this weekend."

"Oh, good… Thank you Edward, that was really considerate." She gave my dad a quick kiss. She sounded completely sincere, but I swear for one second that I saw a look of disappointment cross her face.

"Mom, where are you guys going this weekend?" It was very strange, mom never liked to be away from me. Everyone leaving like this reminded me of when they went searching for witnesses. Alice appeared at my mom's side and answered for her.

"I need your mom's help with some shopping in Seattle this weekend. We want to bring you with us, but I can't see her future if you do, and we can't risk someone who knows your mom seeing her. She looks too different, and it will raise suspicion of our family. Last time was too close of a call."

Grandma appeared next to us. "Do you mind staying with me and Grandpa this weekend?"

I reached out my hand and rested it on her face. _Not at all Grandma_, I told her, _I was just worried that_... I couldn't finish the sentence, even in my mind, so I just showed her a picture from my memory: a great line of black cloaked figures advancing on my family.

My dad pulled me into his arms, and hugged me tightly. Esme looked like she wanted to cry. "Don't worry sweetheart, our family is completely safe. Alice is watching Aro and Caius, they have no plans to attack us, and she will know if that changes." It seemed the whole family was outside now. As I looked at them, uncle Jasper filled my mind with calmness.

Looking into their faces, I knew they were telling the truth. We were strong, and we were safe.

**Thanks to all you guys that have read this far! Questions, comments, constructive criticism? I'd love to hear it! Just leave a review n_n!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 6  
Bella's POV

When Edward, Jacob and Renesmee left with their secret, Alice and I started taking everything that was left out of Edward's room, and then we started ripping it apart. I have to admit, I had a blast doing it. We didn't need any hammers or crowbars, only our hands. Within minutes we were laughing, ripping all the built in shelves out of the walls, the lights, and the carpet. We wanted to start from scratch, so we stripped it down to nothing. We had to wait a few minutes for Esme to come back with quick-drying plaster and the colored paint that I wanted. We plastered the walls, and when they were dry enough, sanded everything down. Rosalie came and helped the three of us paint the walls quickly, and Esme only took 15 minutes to put down the new hardwood flooring.

In only three hours, we were able to look at our finished piece. The room looked completely different. The walls were completely flat now, and all painted a light lavender color. The wood of the floors were bleached almost white. Looking at the blank canvas, hundreds of decorating ideas came to mind. Alice could see what I wanted to buy, and how it would look after we got it, so when she gave me ideas of her own, and I agreed to them, her visions would change. We kept like that for a while, until we were both satisfied. We sat in silence beside each other in the empty room for a while, and I assumed Alice was planning the stores to visit to get the things we wanted, before she started talking.

"Bella… how are you feeling?" She looked at me very seriously, but I wasn't quite sure what she was referring to.

"I'm great Alice, why do you ask?"

"Jasper and I were just worrying about you... Don't be upset please, but he told me how much of an emotional rollercoaster you've been feeling lately."

I wasn't upset; I knew my family was just worried about me. "Oh... well, I talked to Edward about it a couple days ago, and it's not as bad now. He said it was just part of being a newborn, and that it would slowly get better over time. I guess I'm still subconsciously thinking that we're about to be attacked, and I'm having trouble pushing it out of my mind. I've been getting frustrated over a lot of stupid things lately, but I think it's going to get better."

She smiled and bumped her shoulder into mine. "I'm glad to hear it. We've all been through it before, so please don't hesitate to talk to one of us if you're feeling really upset."

"Thanks sister, I do have a question actually. Do you have any tips for dealing with some of this stress?"

"You mean while Renesmee's awake?" She laughed at my expression and went on. "You never have too many hobbies. Rose has her cars, Emmett wrestles bears, Esme likes to draw, and Edward has his piano. Anything that you can enjoy really, to distract you from it. Set some smalls goals for yourself to conquer. I think something more physical would be better for you right now, something that will use a lot of your concentration."

"That makes sense, thanks Alice."

"Not a problem." Her eyes glazed over for two seconds, and then she smiled. "Edward and Nessie will be home in ten" she said, and flitted out of the room. That gave me time to drop the rest of Edward's things off at our cottage. Everything except for that huge bed that Rose put in the attic that is. I had just gotten back to the big house when I heard the sound of a new vehicle coming up the driveway. That was odd, Alice didn't say that we would have any visitors today. If there was a special occasion or something, I wouldn't have put it past Edward to have bought me a new vehicle, but even he wouldn't go as far as to buy a car at random. But sure enough, he pulled up in a monstrous truck with a blue bow on top, the exact same blue that the ribbon on my Ferrari had had. I was surprised with myself though, I loved it. I missed my old truck a lot, and this beast reminded me of how I much I had enjoyed it. But still, this was over the top. "Edward… Please tell me you didn't buy me _another_ vehicle."

"Don't worry love, it's only a rental. We have it for two weeks. I thought you could use the extra space this weekend."

"Oh, good… Thank you Edward, that was really sweet." I was sad for a moment, knowing I'd be giving it back soon. To me, it was more beautiful than any car I've ever seen. I was also happy at the same time that he didn't buy me something as big as this just at random though. He was right that we'd need the space to bring everything back from Seattle.

"Mom, where are you guys going this weekend?" Renesmee asked me. I should of thought of an answer sooner for this question, obviously she would be curious as to why we were leaving without her. I hated not having her in my sight, and seeing with my own two eyes that she was safe. Luckily, Alice was prepared, and answered for me.

"I need your mom's help with some shopping in Seattle this weekend. We want to bring you with us, but I can't see her future if you do, and we can't risk someone who knows your mom seeing her. She looks too different, and it will raise suspicion of our family. Last time was too close of a call."

She had assumed the worst, and thought we were preparing for another attack. It didn't take long for Edward to reassure her that we were safe, but in the back of my own mind, I still had the feeling that we weren't.

We stayed at the main house for a while, and it wasn't long before Jacob came back with my car. He had a giant grin plastered on his face. "Bella, that car is amazing; I could spend my entire life driving around in it." I wasn't mad at him anymore for this morning's incident, when he had thought that it would be an even longer wait before she could really be his. Edward told me though that he had blown it a bit out of proportion. There was nothing sexual about it, he just wished he could spend more time with her, without having to share. I had still had a problem with him thinking about her as 'his' though. She was her own person, and I wouldn't let her 'owned' by anyone, she wasn't a possession. Edward had thought the same way, and had told Jacob as much. We wouldn't have him over if he was thinking like that. I shivered thinking about it; her being older and being in a relationship, with anyone. Then I remembered that her childhood might be a lot longer than we thought it would be. The thought made me smile.

It was late when we left for the cottage; Renesmee was fighting to keep her eyes open, and was asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow. I helped Edward organize everything from his old bedroom, and as soon as our room was clean, we ended up making a new mess of it.

The rest of the week went by quickly, and before I knew it, Saturday morning had arrived. Renesmee was bouncing around her bedroom as soon as she was awake, making it hard to get her dressed for the day. Esme had the entire day planned out for them. We packed her small black backpack with her things for the day and her sleepover with Carlisle and Esme. It was the same one that I gave her to hold onto when we confronted the Volturi, and it hadn't been used since. I emptied out all of the cash and gave it to Edward, and put the documents on a shelf in the living room. Everything was still there, except for the letter that I had written to Renesmee. I smelled the bag, and had a feeling that she had taken it. I decided not to say anything about it. We dropped our things off at the main house, before the girls went out hunting. We made it a quick trip, and in no time I was saying goodbye to my daughter and husband. It was even harder than I thought it would be, but Jasper helped me. After we left, I was distracted by the beast I was driving. I loved this truck so much. I loved how roomy it was, how high off the ground I was, and how smooth of a drive we had. It had great suspension.

We got to Seattle at noon, making great time. Alice told us as soon as we were off the driveway that there wouldn't be a single cop on the way there, so I had a blast driving, and it only took 2 hours. I would never drive like this without Alice in the car, there were just too many possibilities of causing accidents with humans, or animals. They can be so unpredictable. I was even worse if Renesmee was in the car, her skin may be impenetrable, but I still worried constantly. We spent all day going store to store, and walking though malls. I don't enjoy shopping usually; especially clothes shopping, but I enjoyed picking things out for my daughter. We walked by a TV store in one of the malls, and my attention was grabbed by something on one of the screens. It was showing two people fighting with martial arts, but to me it looked more like a dance. There was something graceful about it, and I found myself memorizing the moves they were using, wanting to try them myself later. Alice came back to my side, a blank look in her eyes. She was seeing something. My thought's immediately turned to my daughter.

"She's fine. Carlisle or Esme would have called if something came up. I was just seeing that this would be the perfect hobby for you, even if Edward doesn't like it. We'll pick you up some DVDs. Oh!" She stopped and smiled. "Jasper will want to do them with you! He's wanted to learn some new fighting techniques for a while now, but just hasn't gotten around to it yet. For some reason, he doesn't like sparring with Edward or me." She winked at me and grinned. I thought about how I might look doing some of the moves I'd seen, and how I couldn't fail with an instructor and sparring partner like Jasper. The thought made me smile too.

"Thanks Alice! I'm excited to start" I told her honestly. We had almost everything we wanted by the time the sun fell, except for curtains. We were heading to the store we wanted, fighting between walking at a human pace and trying to get to the store before it closed, when my phone rang. The caller I.D. said that it was Carlisle, and if my heart was still beating, it would have stopped. "Carlisle? What's wrong?"

"Renesmee's safe Bella, but Jacob's pack passed a trail only a few kilometers out from the house. Embry said… he said that it smelt like Jane. I went out and confirmed the scent myself. It's only hours old."


	7. Chapter 7

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 7  
Bella's POV

"What did Edward say?"

"He didn't answer, we think they're still under water."

"I'm leaving now, here's Alice," I tossed the phone in her general direction, ran around the corner, and jumped to the top of the 5 story building in one leap. From there, jumping roof to roof to the edge of town, everything was a blur as it passed me by. When I took to the woods, I too caught a scent of Jane's. It had rained a lot today, still was, and to me the scent seemed over five hours old. I followed the trail, un-coincidently, back in the direction we came from. I noted a much older trail that she had veering off in the direction of Port Angeles, days old. I would guarantee she followed Alice, Renesmee and I there the other day. She's been spying on us. I think I ran faster than I ever have before, and I was at the main house in twenty minutes. Jacob was in his wolf form on the front yard, and I could hear the hearts of three other wolves not far away in the woods. I dashed past him, throwing out my shield as far as I could around the house. I don't even know if he saw me.

I stopped when I was three feet away from my daughter. She was sitting on the couch with Esme, in her pyjamas, watching a movie. I took a minute to take in every part of her, and smiled when I noticed that her hair was beautifully curled, and that she had pink nail polish on her finger and toe nails. I dropped to my knees in front of her, and pulled her into my arms. When I finally relaxed my hold of her, she put both of her palms on my face. _I'm okay momma, we didn't even see her_. She hesitated for a moment, holding something back, and I put my hands over hers to encourage her. After a moment, she showed me how scared she was when Jake came in and told Carlisle, and when he said Jane's name.

"You're safe from her Renesmee, she can't hurt anyone around us while my shield is here," I said as I kissed her forehead. When she smiled at that, she still had her palms on my cheeks, and I saw her picture a huge, diamond dome around the whole house. I smiled back and nodded, hugging her again.

Carlisle had been out back, and came in when he heard us. "I got a hold of Edward just minutes ago, he's running with Jasper, Emmett's bringing the Jeep back. Alice and Rose are on their way back with the truck also."

"Okay, thank you Carlisle," I forced out. Renesmee was in my arms, but Edward wasn't. I was frozen in fear that they would run into Jane on their way back. I couldn't protect him. I jumped when Esme laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry dear. But you should try to calm yourself, sit down. They're not as far away as you were; they'll be home any minute." I took her advice and sat on the couch, and Renesmee slid into my lap and curled up there. I felt guilty for giving her another reason to worry, but I think she knew me better than Jacob did. She kept her hand on my face, pushing her feelings of happiness and safety that she felt being close to me into my head. The effect was almost the same as if Jasper was controlling my emotions, and I did start to relax. Unfortunately, it didn't last. As time went by, all three of us became statues. It shouldn't have taken them this much time to get back. Surely, Alice would have seen, and been able to warn them, if something would happen. I had just started to dial her phone number when I heard two vampires run onto the property.

In seconds Edward was on his knees in front of us. He just stayed there for a moment, taking in the sight of Renesmee and I, just like I had when I got back. He needed to convince his mind that we were safe. Renesmee and I reached out and each placed a hand on the side of his face, at exactly the same time. It made all three of us laugh, and in another second Edward had both of us crushed against him. None of us needed words.

Jasper was already explaining to Carlisle what took them so long, they had come across another one of Jane's trails, and tried to follow it. It had stopped at a river a while away, but it was the big river that fed the smaller one running through the Cullen's property. She was long gone, Edward hadn't sensed any of her thoughts, and they had ran a quick loop around the property. I went outside to talk to Jake.

His ears went back, and he let out a soft whine when Renesmee and I sat down next to him on the ground. "It's okay Jake, Edward will hear her long before we see her, we're pretty sure she's nowhere close anymore." Then I switched to a conspirational whisper, "But I still have my shield up, just in case." I winked, but he was still very stressed. He glanced from me, to the woods where Embry and Seth were, then back at me. I didn't need words to understand my best friend most of the time, and I understood. "They're not directly under it, but haven't I told you? If I shield the mind of the Alpha of the pack, the rest of your minds are covered too. I don't really understand it, but the same thing happens whether I cover you or Sam." He jumped to his feet, and licked the side of my face. I loved my best friend, but the smell of his breath was disgusting! "Eww, Jake! That's disgusting! If you do that again, I swear I'll wash your mouth out with soap!" He laughed his wolfy laugh, and Renesmee laughed even louder. Jake pointed to the woods, then looked back at me questionably. "No, you don't need to phase. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. Besides, I like you better sometimes when you can't talk." I smiled to let him know I was just kidding, and he butted me with his head. I heard Emmett's jeep barreling up the driveway, and patted Jake's head to say goodbye. "Thank you for being here to protect her." He just shook his head, and went back to watching the woods.

It was another hour and a half before Alice and Rose got home with the truck, there were two speed traps set up on their way back. Renesmee was already asleep on the couch. I put a blanket over her; we decided she would be fine sleeping there. We didn't want to leave the family tonight. We all moved to the great table in the dining room, I opened the window, and Jake sat outside of it to listen and relay what we knew to his pack and Sam's.

I started. "She followed us to Seattle today, and from a really old trail of hers that I crossed, I guarantee she followed us to Port Angeles the other day also. Before you got back Edward, I had guessed that she might have followed you also, and from the trail you found, I think my thoughts were right." Jasper nodded. "She's been spying on us."

"What's weird though, she had no intention of confronting any of us. I've been watching for that, Edward said she was personally offended by Bella's show of rendering her and her brother useless in front of the Volturi and their witnesses," Alice added. I had guessed as much, but didn't think she'd come back alone.

"That supports my theory of her only spying, but why? Is she trying to test our protection?"

"I think so Bella," Jasper said. "If Alice said she wasn't planning an attack, that's the only conclusion I can come to. Or maybe Caius wanted her to keep tabs on us?"

"No, I've been watching Caius and Aro the most; they had nothing to do with it." Alice has that lost look in her eyes. "She's on her way back to Volterra now, but not to reporting anything, she's just finished with whatever it was that she was doing." She sounded upset with herself, Jasper and I laid a hand on each of her tiny shoulders at the same time.

"Alice," I told her, "I truly believe you would have seen her if she meant any harm to us, please don't beat yourself up about this." She nodded absentmindedly, and leaned into Jasper for comfort. I let her go.

"So where does that leave us now?" Esme asked.

Carlisle stood up. "Well, if she's on her way back to Volterra, I think we're safe from the possibility of running into her. I think we should trace as many of her trails as possible to learn what we can from her visit."

"Jacob says he has his pack on it, but he doesn't want any of the wolves seen around the cities, so it would be better if we did those areas. Sam said there is no trace of her anywhere near the reservation." The rain was coming down hard now, and would be for a couple of days, so Emmet, Jasper, Carlisle and Edward went to investigate the other trails before they disappeared.

Alice, Rose and I spent the rest of the night putting together Renesmee's room; it only took about two hours to put everything together. Esme made some beautiful curtains while we were working, since it was the only piece missing. They were more beautiful than anything we could have bought at a store.

It was about five in the morning by the time we were finished, and the men had just gotten home. I went and put Renesmee in her new room, glad for the timing. I doubted the family would want us away from them for a few days, and I didn't mind.

"Wow, you ladies did an amazing job. It looks completely different; our daughter won't know where she is when she wakes up." Edward had come in behind me, wrapping his arms around me. "We didn't find much, but I knew you'd want to be there while we discussed it." He was right.

We went back down to the dining room, where everyone was sitting in pairs again, and joined them. They found a handful of trails around forks, and following our paths where we went yesterday. They couldn't find the path to Port Angeles though, my sense of smell must be a bit stronger than theirs. From what we could tell, she'd been scouting the area for over a week, taking care not to come too close to and of our regular paths. We think she knew that she would be heading back yesterday when she crossed over our trails, none of the others came anywhere close to us. I felt like she was just trying to mess with us, but kept the errant thought to myself.

**Author's note: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my work so far, it gives me more motivation to keep with the story! I also appreciated the tips that one guest gave me, and to them I wanted to say: *spoiler* I am planning on bringing in Renee and other humans from the original story, but probably not in the way you're expecting ;P thanks again! It took me a little while to figure out how to find the guest reviews. Please note that I will deleted any reviews with foul language it them, I really don't like like swearing,  
Take care guys! 3**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 8  
Renesmee's POV

_She had her hands wrapped around the tops of my arms, her fingers wrapping all the way around and overlapping. She was holding me in the air, looking deep into my eyes; filling my entire soul with blistering pain, while wearing an angelic smile upon her face. I thrashed around, trying to get away, incapable of making a sound. The pain was immediately pushed away by the cool, familiar touch of my mother._

"_Shh… Renesmee, you're safe. I will always keep you safe." _

_Everything around me dissolved away and the rest of my dreams were spent in a beautiful meadow, covered in wildflowers. I watched the beautiful lavender sky as the sun set. I could almost hear my mother's voice floating in the air around me.  
_

When I woke up, I thought I was still dreaming. I wasn't afraid though, I could feel my mother's hand combing through my hair, she was sitting up next to me in the fluffy, new bed I was in. I just wasn't sure where we were. The room was completely foreign, and the same colour as the sky in my dream. "Good morning Renesmee," mom said quietly. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Where are we?" I asked groggily.

"We wanted it to be a surprise, but you were having nightmares last night, and I didn't want you to wake up scared. This was your father's old bedroom, a gift from the entire family and I, for when we stay over." I remembered being scared, but couldn't recall the nightmare at all.

I jumped out of bed, and took in my surroundings. The only thing they hadn't ripped out was the giant glass window that took up the entire back wall, my favourite part of the room. Besides that, it was unrecognisable. I loved the color of the walls so much! There were beautiful, gauzy white curtains on either side of the window, which matched the bed-, one that was much more proportionate to the size of the room. It was centered on one of the side walls, and when I looked at it from the window, it looked like a beautiful white cloud floating in the sky. Small silvery shelves we scattered across the same wall, with silver star ornaments dangling from them at different lengths.

I sucked in a breath, and shouted, "Thanks so much everyone! I love it! It's so beautiful!" If they were anywhere around the property, they would hear me. I heard a few voices from different floors laugh. My aunt Alice blew into the room, and offered to show me around my new closet. My mom just rolled her eyes and walked downstairs.

The family was still uncomfortable knowing that Jane had been so close to us, I could tell. Everyone stayed in the house. They used the weather for an excuse, but I knew better. I didn't mind though, I probably have the most interesting family to be stuck in a giant house with. I spent most of the day looking at all of the neat knick-knacks that covered the shelves in my new room, and when I got bored my dad gave me another piano lesson.

The rest of the day, and the next passed by slowly, the rain only seeming to get worse. I filled my time with music, paintings, books and movies with my family, and they seemed to slowly relax again. Everyone except for mom and Alice. Alice was in her room most of the second day, Dad said she had something like a headache from working through a big vision. Mom, she was just distracted, and on edge it seemed. I caught her having small arguments with Dad every once in a while, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know why. That was the only reason I sat through three movies that day, sitting in my mom's lap seemed to be the only thing that calmed her down. She almost shattered the phone when it rang that night.

Grandpa wanted us to come by tomorrow, he wanted to talk to my mom about a few things, and she agreed that we would come by in the morning. She spent most of the night in Aunt Alice's room with her and Grandpa Carlisle, and my Dad and Uncle Emmett took me hunting.

We were done after one elk each, but Emmett was still hungry. We sat in a tree alone and waited for him to chase down another from the scattered heard. _Why didn't Momma come with us?_ I thought to him, too tired to really talk.

He patted my head and sighed. "She's just frustrated right now. All she needs is a bit of space." He must have seen in my mind that I was worried; I've never really seen her be upset with him for more than a minute before. "There's nothing to worry about, your mother and I love each other very much, and that will never change. Even married couples fight sometimes. She's just very stressed right now, she just needs some space."

I knew she was still worried about Jane, but the rest of the family seemed to believe we were okay, why was it so much harder for her? My dad smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Pretend to be surprised when you hear tomorrow, I just don't want you to worry so much. Your Grandpa Swan is going to ask Sue to marry him, and it's going to cause a few complications."

I was shocked and thrilled. I guess I had never really thought about the fact that they weren't married. I had a great memory, I could remember even being inside my mother. Sue and Grandpa have been together my entire life, as I knew it. I was almost 5 months old now, just days off really, but it seemed like a really long time to me. _How long were you and Momma together before you got married?_

My dad had a pained look cross his face for a moment, but smiled before he answered. "Your mother and I got married a year and a half after we met. To most humans though, that can be considered a really short time. So their engagement to a lot of people may be considered very short, but they love each other, so much, and that's what really matters."

I found something strange about the way he had answered me, but was too tired to think much of it. Emmett was back, and my dad held me as we ran home. I must have drifted off on the way back, because it seemed like I had only blinked, and we were in the brightly lit front yard of the main house. I felt when my dad's body tensed up, and I looked around to see what had caught his attention.

Alice was sitting on the front lawn, holding a giant laptop, and Mom had just thrown Uncle Jasper into a tree.


	9. Chapter 9

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, all props go to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 9  
Bella's POV

I could hear her when Renesmee started thrashing around in her bed. Edward was on my heels as I sprinted to her bedroom. He froze in the doorway, with a pained look on his face, but I went straight to her side, opening her clenched fist and putting her palm against my face. I was then looking into Jane's red eyes, and hissed as I saw her smile up at my daughter. I wiped the sweat from her forehead, then rested my hand against her warm cheek. "Shh… Renesmee, you're safe. I'll always keep you safe." She relaxed under my touch, and I was so happy that I could help her. I was terrified by what I saw though. I will never let that creature have the chance to use her power on my daughter.

"She's fine now, Bella, it felt like you were right there with her." He laid his hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing's fine, you saw what she saw."

"It was just a nightmare love, after all that she's seen in her short life already, it seems normal." It didn't feel like just a nightmare to me though. I told Edward about some of the dreams I had when I was a human. Before I found out about Jacob's wolf form, I saw him as a wolf, protecting me. Before I even knew I was pregnant, holding a small child that looked like Edward, the one that I knew I had to protect. The black cloaked figures that wanted to destroy him… I even tried opening my mind to show him the muddy human memories, but I was getting too frustrated with his denial to open my shield up enough, and that made me angrier. "Come downstairs and relax."

"No, you should go downstairs by yourself. I don't want Renesmee to wake up in a place she doesn't recognise after that nightmare." I settled in beside her on the new bed.

"Bella—"

"Edward, please just give me some space right now. We can talk later." He took a step into the room, but Alice appeared by his side and looked at him. After a few moments, they both left, and I made a mental note to thank her later. I spent the rest of the morning just sitting there with my daughter, combing my fingers through her hair, watching the sun slowly rise. A couple hours later when she awoke, I was happy to see that she seemed perfectly calm. "Good morning, Renesmee."

"Where are we?" she asked quietly, she sounded like she wasn't really awake. I explained her present to her quickly, and that got her up fast. She jumped out of the bed, and sped over to the window, surveying the room from there. A brilliant smile lit up her face, and she sucked in a huge breath before shouting her thanks to everyone in the house. Alice came down from her room to show Renesmee some of the outfits she got her. I rolled my eyes and left them alone. I gave Alice free rain over the closet as my thanks for her help, but I didn't want anything to do with it. Renesmee spent most of the morning in her new room, and I helped Rose do some work in the garage, holding her car up for her while she was putting on some new tires.

"Don't worry about Edward," she said, breaking into my train of thought. I looked at her, surprised. "I heard you guys earlier. He's not always right, even though he thinks he is. Arguments are a normal part of relationships; don't feel so guilty about it." She slid her dolly out to flash me her million dollar smile. "Emmett and I fight all the time, it's healthy." She winked at me, and went back under the car.

"Thanks Rose." She was right, I didn't do anything wrong really, Edward was just pushing my buttons today, and I was just not very use to being angry at him.

"We can talk about it if you want."

"No thanks, I'm fine, just in a bit of a bad mood today, I guess."

"Fair enough."

The rest of the day seemed to drag on, and I got tenser as it went. Renesmee's dream was burned into my mind, and my feelings toward it didn't change. I felt self-conscious after Edward's reaction to my suspicions, so I didn't voice them to anyone else. No one left the house except for Carlisle. They weren't worried about Jane, they just had no plans. Jake never came inside. I wanted to run, but didn't knowing that Edward would be worried about me if I was alone. So I just got more irritated as the day went on. I spent three hours reading to Renesmee before she fell asleep that night, then sat between Emmett and Jasper while they watched a football game. Jasper was able to slowly calm me down, as did Emmett's and his bantering and gambling. When I felt calm enough, I got up and sat next to Edward on the other couch. He hesitantly put an arm around my shoulders, and I felt him relax when I leaned into him. We didn't need to speak, he understood how I felt.

It was very late when Alice had her vision. She hunched over, and had her hands clenched into fists as she processed the new information. Jasper had her wrapped in his arms, and Edward replayed what she saw for us. "Charlie's going to call you tonight. He wants to propose to Sue."

This news didn't really surprise me; I knew they were crazy about each other. "What else?" That alone wouldn't have caused Alice's ongoing reaction.

"The thing is, he's waiting to ask you how he feels about it before he decides about it. Alice sees you saying yes in all the scenarios, but it's still blurry… and causing a lot a ripple effects that are also blurry from indecision, or maybe Renesmee or the wolves have something to do with it. It's pulling her mind in a lot of different directions. It's giving her a headache trying to focus all of them." After another moment, she relaxed into Jasper. He held her head in his hands, holding her face close to his until she opened her eyes. A small smile slowly took over her face, and he kissed her tenderly on the lips. She turned to look at me, and her voice sounded very tired as she spoke.

"If you do go to the wedding, your appearance will spark too many rumors among the guests, no matter what we can do with makeup. A lot of people will want to see the Chief of Police's marriage. Same thing will happen if you don't go though, it will raise suspicion. Our family could obviously afford to pay for the trip. Also, if your mom knows that you're 'coming down from Alaska,' she will come down for a surprise visit. I can't see any scenario of it ending positively if your mother sees you, she knows you too well. It all keeps leading back to the same thing, I'm so sorry Bella, but—"

She stopped talking as soon as I figured what she was leading up to, she must have seen it. I didn't really notice Edward lead me out to the back porch. But he sat there, pulled me into his lap, and just held me while I processed.

I had been trying to deal with everyone from my past life with phone calls and e-mails, doing my best to keep them happy. To keep myself happy. But now I had to step up and protect my family's secret. It was part of the price of this new life: Saying goodbye to your previous one. Alice and Edward were right though. I couldn't deny Charlie his happiness, so I would have to prepare for my funeral. Even after the sun came up, I couldn't bring myself to move. Rose helped Renesmee get up, and tried distracting her for as long as possible, but it wasn't long before she started asking for us. I took a steadying breath, and stood up to go to her, but Edward blocked my path.

"Bella, she'll be fine with Rose for a while, you need some time to process, love." His voice sounded pained, but I barely noticed, lost in my own mind.

"I've been sitting here for hours Edward, I don't want her worrying about me."

"You mean more than she already is? You were stressed enough yesterday and she noticed, seeing you today will be worse. Plus, I don't think you should be around her while you're so upset." That was the wrong thing for him to say.

"What are you saying? That my own daughter isn't safe from me? Don't you dare insinuate that! I've protected her for her entire existence, with my own life, even from you! She will NEVER be in danger from me! I've always been stronger then you ever thought I was, and you'd better start remembering that!" I didn't yell the words, but my tone could have turned fire into ice. Edward looked like I'd slapped him in the face, and it was a show of myself control that I didn't. I hadn't noticed Jasper behind me until he stepped into view. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was sending Edward a message. We stood in silence for a few moments, before Edward looked back to me.

"I'm sorry, Bella." He dropped his head, and left us alone on the porch. I didn't move.

"What's going on Jasper?"

He hesitantly put a hand on my shoulder, but didn't try to use his power. "You're right Bella. I was reading you, and all there was in you was sadness, no anger. That's what I told him. I don't think there is anything in this world that could cause you to harm Renesme, and I'm sure no one else does either. You weren't angry until he spoke without thinking, and I think that is all that was. I think that he was just so worried about you, that he didn't really think his words through."

I was frozen in shock, and didn't know what to say. For the first time in either of my lives, I wrapped my arms around Jasper and hugged him. It seemed to surprise him too, but he hugged back after only a second of hesitation, and held me there. I started quietly sobbing, my body trying to find its own way to cope without tears. "I can take the pain away if you want, but…"

"No, I need to deal with this on my own, or it won't get any easier." I felt him nod. "But, if you could, maybe just ten minutes? I need to see Renesmee, but Edward was right. Not like this, it will scare her."

"Of course."

After I steadied myself, I went to say good morning to my daughter. Edward kept his space, and Jasper inconspicuously stayed close by. Esme came in after a few minutes to ask Renesmee to paint with her, and I smiled a thank you to her, I would have a few hours. I went and told Jasper that I was going to go hunting while Renesmee was distracted. He offered to come with me, but I told him to stay with Alice, who was locked away in her room, most likely going through visions of my funeral. Edward stopped me at the door on my way out.

"Would you like me to come with you?" He asked sadly, I'm pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"No, please stay and watch Renesmee while I'm gone, I don't want her without both of us." He went to place a hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away. "_Please_," I hissed, "I just want some time alone. I _need_ it." He was about to say something, but was distracted. I turned around to see Renesme walking by with one of Esme's aprons in her hands. I forced the best smile I could on my face, and she smiled back before she continued walking. I slid around Edward before he could say another word, and headed for the woods.

I took down a large doe, and was lucky enough to find a mountain lion for dessert. I'd only been gone an hour and a half, so I took a longer route going back. I smelt wolf not far away, so I was probably coming up on someone's patrol route. I passed Leah soon after, but she gave me a wide berth. I was thankful, because as soon as a saw her, I realized I was going to have to play dead in front of my soon to be werewolf step-siblings. I increased my speed, and tried to make my body move as fast as it could possibly go.

I was stopped by a loud bark when I was about ten minutes away from the main house. I turned around when I heard Jacob run toward me. "Hey Bella."

"Hey Jake, what s up?"

He stopped a couple feet away from me, and studied me for a moment before answering. "We saw you hunting alone, and I just thought I'd make sure you were alright. You always have someone with you whenever I've seen you hunt."

He was right, I hadn't really thought of that. This was my first solo hunting trip. I didn't want to lie to Jake, but I wasn't ready to say the truth aloud yet. I looked to the ground and clenched my fists, not knowing what to do.

"Shhhh." He closed the distance between us, and hugged me. His heat made it a bit uncomfortable, but I still appreciated the gesture."I don't know what's going on Bells, but when you're ready to talk about it, I'm here."

"Thanks Jake." I loved how he knew me so well, he knew exactly what I needed. Time. After a few minutes, I got up. "I gotta get back, are you coming to visit Renesmee?"

"No, I just came to check on you. I'm on patrol, then have dinner plans with my dad. "Love ya Bells."

"Love you too Jake."

I went in through Rosalie's bedroom window; her clothes were the closest to my size. Sure enough, there was an outfit laid out for me. I slipped it on and went to see Renesmee. Her painting really was a masterpiece, I thought to myself. It felt to me like the inspiration was her new bedroom; the canvas was covered in different shade of purple, with clouds of white and blue, and hints of silver in the background. I floated around the house for the rest of the afternoon, looking for something to do, but failing. Renesmee asked to watch a few movies with me, and the whole family sat together. I counted the pixels in the screen to occupy my mind, having Renesmee in my lap helped, but it also made me think a lot of my own mother.

It gave me another perspective of her love, being a mother myself now. No bond was stronger, I thought, than the one between a mother and her child. I had thought I was going to lose Renesmee before, when I got Alice's message figured out. But I was the one dying, not her. I couldn't even imagine that, but I was going to be putting my mom through that pain.

When the phone rang beside me, my arm whipped out so fast to grab it that I ended up flinging it across the room. Alice caught it and handed it to me. "Hey Dad"

"Hey Bells! How'd you know it was me?"

Oops. "Caller ID"

"Oh yeah, obviously. I was wondering if you guys wanted to come by for a while tomorrow? I have something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure, is the morning okay?" I wanted to get through this as soon as possible. We would have to do it before the wedding.

"Yeah, that's perfect. See you then!"

"Have a good night dad."

Edward took Renesmee hunting with Emmet, and as soon as they were gone, Alice zoomed out of the house. Jasper came and sat next to me, telling me that she needed to grab something, but didn't say what. When she returned twenty minutes later, she had a thick, but small plastic bag in one hand, and handed it to me smiling.

I emptied the bag on my lap, and a bunch of DVDs fell out. All martial arts instructional videos. Jasper gave her a weird look. "You got those for Bella?"

"Yes, but she needs a sparring partner to practice with." I turned in my chair to face him.

"Want to?" A bit of excitement broke through my mood, and I think he felt it.

"He does!" Alice said for him, too impatient to wait for him to reply himself. She grabbed the laptop with the biggest screen, one of the DVDs and an umbrella, and we followed her outside. We were going through the tutorial pretty quickly, not needing much time to perfect the moves. It took most of my concentration, and I felt really good after not too long. We started on one maneuver that would flip an attacker from behind to the ground in front of you, and Jasper let me go first. I put a bit too much strength into it though, and accidentally threw him into a tree.


	10. Chapter 10

**I do Not own any of these characters or material, they all belong to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just playing with her story.**

Chapter 10  
Bella's POV

I ran to check on Jasper immediately, even though I knew he was okay. A tree didn't stand a chance against him. His laughter drew me too him, it was the first time I'd heard it. I was about to apologize, but my guilt disappeared in seconds. It was his way of saying not to worry about it, and I started laughing with him. I had let go too early, and thrown him away from me instead of towards the ground.

"Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that" he told me.

"Guess I don't know my own strength" I replied, causing us to laugh again.

I felt great, and we decided to call it quits for the day. Edward and I decided it would be best to bring Renesmee back to the cottage tonight. It took her a while to fall asleep, even though she was exhausted, because she wanted to know everything that Jasper and I had been doing.

When she was finally out, Edward and I went into the back yard, and sat together beside the small silver pool of water. I wanted to get the conversation over with immediately. "Edward, I love you, that has not changed in the slightest, but I'm not the same person I was before, and I need you to understand that. I've grown, and the way you try to protect me sometimes smothers me. We're equals now. I'm sorry for the way I handled my anger, but I don't think I did anything wrong. I am sorry for causing you pain though."

It was a few minutes before he replied. "You're right." When he didn't continue on, I started to panic. I loved him, even though I've changed. He loved me still after he turned me, because I was still me. I was different now, in a more important way. Had his feelings finally changed? My fear froze me, and I couldn't speak. When I couldn't wait any longer, the fear helped me rip the shield away from my mind, and I _showed_ him how deep my love for him was, and the fear of losing him now because he couldn't love the new me.

His lips crushed against mine and I responded, but my shield, for the first time, remained under control. I continued by showing him the frustration of being smothered, feeling like I was trapped in a cage, always worrying about _him_ worrying. _But I love you, I love you so much. You are literally my other half, and even when I'm mad at you, I still need you. It's just in a different way_. A wave of tiredness overwhelmed me, and my shield snapped back up. At least I was getting better at it.

I did need him, but not in the same way, like I'd said. I didn't need to be protected, and this new love felt stronger, healthier. As a human, it was like I needed him like I needed the air, completely dependent upon him, and that felt wrong now. I could now protect myself and my family also. I felt like a whole person, but Edward made my _soul_ whole. We completed each other.

He held my face in his hands, just inches away from his own, as he spoke. "Bella, when you were still human, you changed my entire being in an irreversible way. It was as if I was born in shadows, and never saw the light of day until I met you. I love you for your endless compassion, the way your mind works and always seems to surprise me, your strength, your personality, how much you love our daughter, your sense of humour, I could go on and on. When I met you, dawn broke on my world, and I never want to go back to the darkness. You're right, you have changed, but my love for you grows stronger every day. Nothing will ever change that. And I am sorry for how I've acted, I swear to you that I'll work on it, it's just hard." He stopped when I kissed him, and I didn't need to open my mind to show him how relieved I was. There was still a lot that we needed to discuss before Renesmee woke up, and I was the one to push away. But only slightly, I needed him close to stay strong through this conversation.

"I'm going to tell Charlie about the funeral right away, we'll need to do it before the wedding, and I think it would be better to get it over with as soon as possible. After 5 months of e-mails, and a very unconvincing phone call, Renee is getting too suspicious. She's so worried about me, even though I told her I was getting better from my "illness." And that doesn't even include Angela, Jess, Mike and Ben. They're all worried that I didn't come back for winter break, and I think the longer we wait, the more suspicious they'll be." I spoke the words so quickly that they seemed to blur together, a human wouldn't have been able to understand any of it. Edward held me more tightly against him, rubbing a hand on my back, he knew I was in pain. He waited a few moments until I started to breathe again before speaking.

"That would probably be best. You're right about Renee, Alice has had a few visions of her, and she knows something's wrong. If you're ready, we can do it in two weeks."

"You'll help me with Charlie tomorrow?" Even if he hadn't heard the desperation in my voice, I knew what his answer would be.

"Of course, I will never leave your side." He quickly went through some details that we would have to share with Charlie, he would be playing a big role in all of this. He would be the only human to know I'm still alive, outside of the packs that is.

We decided that it would be best if Renesmee didn't come with us. She had heard yesterday that we would be visiting when Charlie called, and she got very upset when we told her that she couldn't come. We had to explain the situation to her, but didn't go into detail for obvious reasons. Edward told me that she didn't fully understand, and I said that was probably for the best. She was so, so young, and I wanted her to be spared from as much pain as possible. Alice called Edward shortly after, now that Renesmee wasn't going to be there, she saw what would happen, and tried to give him as many details as possible. I called Jacob. He wasn't home, but Paul got a message put through to him via Sam. He was on patrol not far away, and was at the cottage in five minutes, I met him outside.

I explained to him what was going to happen today. I had expected him to run to Renesmee as soon as I explained the conversation we had this morning, but I was wrong. He grabbed me within seconds, pulling me into a hug that would probably have killed a human. I was able to control my voice as I told him, but my best friend new how much pain I would be in. "Could you stay with Renesmee this morning while we're at Charlie's? She misses you, and I'm sure it will put her in a good mood, and also distract her from what she knows we're doing."

"Of course I will, I'm just going to call Leah and get her to take my patrol." I lent him my phone, and he was back in a minute. I helped Renesmee get dressed, and we ran them over to the big house. We then had to run to Charlie's, Alice said that if we drove now, one of his co-workers dropping off some forms would see Edward's car. I preferred it this way, the physical activity helped to distract me.

"Morning Bella, Edward. Where's Renesmee?"

Edward jumped in for me, "She wasn't feeling well this morning, she had trouble sleeping last night. Jacob's over babysitting while she rests."

"That's too bad. Come on in. Where's your car?"

"Esme had an appointment in town, she dropped us off."

We got settled into the living room, and Charlie started looking nervous. His heart rate sped up as we sat in silence. "What was it you wanted to talk about Dad?"

He took a deep breath before speaking. "I want to ask Sue to marry me. I wanted to talk to you about it first, and make sure you're okay with it."

"Of course Dad, you know we all love Sue. You also know you don't need to ask my permission." I tried to make it sound like a joke, but my voice wasn't working right. I sounded off.

"I know, but you're my daughter, my only child, and I love you more than anything. I wouldn't want to upset you."

Edward felt when I froze, and squeezed my knee for support. "Well, you have my blessing dad. When are you going to ask her?"

"Tomorrow, I'm taking her out for a Valentine's day dinner in Port Angeles. I have reservations at a small Italian place in Port Angeles." His face took on a pained expression for a moment, but he didn't say anything. He took a small, black velvet box out of his pocket, and showed me the ring. It was a simple, thin gold band with chocolate colored diamond, ringed with smaller white diamonds. It was beautiful, and I didn't think he could have found a more perfectly suited ring for her.

I couldn't find my voice to carry on. Charlie had already seemed upset when we came in, I don't know what for, I would have to ask Edward afterwards, but he was happy now, thinking about proposing to the woman he loved tomorrow. I didn't want to ruin this moment. The guilt I felt caused actual pain in my chest. I looked to my husband, begging for his help with my eyes.

Edward slid closer to me, and wrapped one arm around me. "Charlie, Bella and I have something very important we need to discuss with you also, and it's not pleasant. We don't want to ruin this moment of happiness, but we also don't have a choice." I watched Charlie's face pale. "I know you want to know as least as possible about our world, but you need to know that we are in a very hard place right now, my family is in danger. You know Bella is different now, but you are the only one that does. All of our lives depend on keeping this a secret, and it's come to a point where we are at a great risk of being found out. We can't let that happen."

"Dad, we're going to have to stage my funeral, or our entire family is going to be exposed."

I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn't. If Alice hadn't assured me that he would be able to deal, I never would have been able to do this. We waited for the question that we already knew he would ask. It was a few minutes before he whispered, "What are you?"

"We also can't answer that," Charlie was going to pursue, but Edward told him honestly, "the penalty if we do is death. Not just for us, but you as well." This took him by surprise, and he was shocked into silence. We took that time to go over the rest of the details. In one week, I will catch an infection that will shut down my immune system. My mom still thought I was recovering at the CDC, and we'll have to tell other's that I hadn't actually been at school, but was hiding the fact that I was sick. I would pass in my sleep the following night, and the funeral would be the next weekend. My funeral will be two weeks from today, on a Sunday.

Charlie's mind was racing, and he voiced most of his thoughts. How did we know for sure we'd be in danger? Who would enforce these 'laws', how was he supposed to pretend his own daughter was dead, and sit through the funeral? And one that I was hoping he wouldn't get to, if this was because of the wedding. I had to explain the implications it would cause, and the suspicions that were already arising for my continued absence since the wedding. He wanted to call it off then, but I told him not too. He deserved his happiness, and I knew now that this was the right thing to do for everyone that cared about me in my past life. They needed closure, because I would never see any of them again.

It was awhile before we left, but Edward told me that Charlie needed some space. Sue was coming over to make dinner for him later, and I was happy to know he wouldn't be alone. Seth and Leah would have told their mother already, and she would be able to help him.

Jasper and I sparred for a while when we got back, but this time we had an audience. Alice, Renesmee, Jacob and Emmett sat on the back porch watching. Edward went inside, but I could tell he was working hard on changing his attitude because he didn't say a single word about it. Jasper had made a circular patch of sand, about three meters wide, in the backyard. Every time one of us went out of the ring, we considered a point for the other, as we went over all the techniques we learned from the first DVD. I was still young, so I had extra strength on my side, but Jasper had the battle experience on his. Renesmee cheered every time I got a point , and it wasn't long before I was smiling again. Alice was right once again, this seemed to be perfect way to deal with my stress.

By the time we stopped three hours later, the score rested at 207-143 for Jasper, but I was still impressed with myself, and I could tell from Emmett's lack of teasing that others were too. Once Carlisle got home from work, I went inside to watch TV with Renesmee and Jake. The rest of the family had a meeting in the dining room, going over details for plans, now that Charlie knew. Edward said that I didn't need to be there, and I was glad.

There wasn't much on, and since Jacob and Renesmee were talking more than watching, I just settled for the evening news. I crushed the remote into dust when the reporter started her local story.

"Friends and family are begging for anyone with information to come forward. Michael Newton was last seen yesterday morning by his mother as he was leaving to go to a store in Port Angeles. Video surveillance shows that he never entered the store, although his car was found in the parking lot."

**Author's note: Thank you so much to everyone who has read this far into my story! And especially to those who have left reviews, favourites or followed After the Break of Dawn. It encourages me to keep writing :) **** I can't reply to guest reviews unfortunately, but I still really appreciate them!  
If any of you have time, I need a female name for a new character coming in, please send me a message if you have any ideas(I'm really bad at making up names) She will have a pretty short appearance.  
Take care! 3 Kitty**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own the characters or material, they belong to Stephanie Meyer**

Chapter 11  
Bella's POV

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I didn't see anything. I still can't see him." Alice's voice came from somewhere nearby. The smiling photo of Mike and Jess that had just been on the screen was burned into my mind.

Alice couldn't see the past, but when she couldn't see Mike's future either. We came to the conclusion that he had been killed. She didn't even see his body being found.

Renesmee was in shock. She had just met Mike barely a week ago, and seeing his picture on the news now had scared her. It was late, so we decided to take her back to the cottage. I let her ride over on Jake, riding a horse sized wolf always lightened her mood. I read to her for over an hour before she fell asleep, and when she was under, I held her hand to my face to watch her dreams, making sure she was okay. She was chasing butterflies around a meadow that reminded me a lot of Edward's and my favourite place. She seemed safe enough from nightmares, so I went to the living room and sat on Edward's lap.

"Bella… I'm really sorry about Mike. I know you weren't very close friends, but you were still friends, and I'm sorry for your loss." He wrapped his arms around me as I leaned into his chest.

"This is what Charlie was upset about today, wasn't it?"

I felt him nod, "Yes, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about, but-"

"Don't apologize, it's okay. I understand." This morning had been hard enough, with that news added on top, I think I might have broken more than just a remote. "I just wish there was something we could to help his family. It's not like we can walk up and tell them that they won't find his body. It breaks my heart knowing that they are just going to keep looking for answers, and find none."

"I know love, but you can't carry the weight of everyone's pain on your shoulders. Not even a vampire is strong enough for that. It's a part of human life, they will heal over time." I knew he was right, but not being able to fix this made me feel weak.

"You know… the whole family was impressed by your work with Jasper." I could hear the smile in his voice; he was trying to cheer me up.

"You're just saying that. Any of you could have done the same after watching that DVD." Really, it's nothing for a vampire's mind to memorize a few hours of video. We don't forget anything.

"No, there's a difference between memorizing something and applying something you've learned. You have amazing reflexes and instinct for fighting. Jasper was especially impressed. The only people that have made him work that hard in a fight are Alice and I, but he says we cheat."

I laughed at that, and it made me feel lighter. "I agree with him, it wouldn't be a fair fight with your guy's… handicaps." I said, thinking of Emmett's golfing program on TV, then smiled slyly as I remembered something Emmett had said after I came back from my first hunt. I looked to Edward, "But I wonder how well you would do against _me_."

"Edward got a hungry look in his eyes, and smiled a breathtakingly bright smile. I melted under his gaze, but it was a trap, and I should have known he'd play dirty. He pushed us off the armchair and had my arms pinned against the wall before I had even known we'd moved. He was fast, but I was still a lot stronger than him. I was able to lift up my legs and push him away, breaking his hold and throwing him back. The growl he made sent shivers up my spine. He lunged, and it was nothing to grab his arm before he made contact with me, and use his own momentum to flip him over onto the ground, where I pinned him down. The look of surprise on his face was priceless. I smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips before whispering, "I win."

The rest of the night went by very quickly, and I didn't notice when the sky began to lighten. Edward told me when he heard Renesmee's thoughts, and we had to dash to our room to get dressed before saying good morning to her. "So, what should we do today?" I asked him as I was sniffing through the rows of clothing bags. I checked, and he was already out of the closet, looking for something in the bedroom. I closed the closet door, and unzipped one of the long garment bags.

The rest of the family all had plans with their mates today, so we wouldn't be hanging out at the main house. I realised that this was Edward and I's first Valentine's Day together, he was… gone for the last one. The muddy memories were still painful to remember. I didn't get him a gift; really there was nothing I could give him that he didn't already have, so I decided to dress up. I wore a calf length deep-red silk dress that had lace in all the right places, with black heels with delicate little straps. I would have ended up in a coma trying to walk in them if I was still human, but it was nothing now.

"I was thinking we could take Renesmee to the Zoo; teach her a bit of biology. Why did you close the door?"

This looked too fancy for the zoo, so I put on a black leather jacket to lessen the effect. "It's a surprise. Can you wait in the living room while I help Renesmee get dressed?" It was a minute before he sighed, then said okay, and I heard him walk down the hall. It made me smile that he still got so quickly frustrated not being able to read my mind. After switching my shoes for a nice pair of black boots, the jacket had the effect that I wanted. I ran to the mirror and pinned up half of my hair, and stepped back to look at myself.

It was still weird for me to look at my new face in the mirror. Even if my mom saw me now, especially in an outfit like this, I don't think she would recognise me. My reflection made me smile slightly, maybe I'll start looking into those garment bags more often. Alice would be proud of me. I threw my shield over Renesmee before I dashed into her room, she was just sliding out of her bed, and her eyes popped open.

"Mom! _Wow_," Was all she could say.

"Shh, I have my shield over you right now, so your dad doesn't see. What would you like to wear today?" I closed the door behind me, and we wandered into her closet.

Renesmee wanted to wear a dress too, and picked out a beautiful pink one with white flower designs on it. She wore a white jacket and adorable white flats with clear beading on them, and I pinned up her hair like mine. When she was satisfied, we walked hand in hand to the living room, and we both laughed at Edward as he took a double take. He walked over to us at a human pace, and told us how beautiful we both were. I was distracted by what he was wearing. He normally stuck to white and khakis, they made him look less pale, but today he was wearing black dress pants, a white shirt, and black tie. He looked amazing. As we were heading out the door behind our daughter, he leaned in and whispered into my ear, "You look so beautiful that it's hurts. I feel like I'm in a dream, because there is no way you can be real." We held hands as we ran to the main house. I took a little longer than usual, trying not to get mud on my boots.

"What are we doing today daddy?"

"It's a surprise" We told her at the same time. We walked in to say hi to the family before grabbing my car. Alice was very happy indeed. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you came around." She said. We grabbed my Ferrari, and headed for the Woodland Park Zoo.

Angela

It was a long drive from Forks to Seattle, Ben's old car couldn't go very fast. He knows me so well I thought, looking up at him. He had really shot up over the last few months, and he was almost an inch taller than me now. The driver's seat was higher than mine though, and it made him look even taller. He knew how much I loved animals, and was taking me to the Zoo for Valentine's day. There's not much to do in Forks, but we both decided to work for a year before heading off to college, we needed the extra money. I was very happy to get out of the town for the day, and we couldn't bring ourselves to go to Port Angeles after Mike's disappearance.

"Oh my _god_! Did you see that car Ang?" Ben had shouted. I certainly had seen it; you couldn't overlook a car like that. The beautiful red sports car shot past us, and Ben had a jealous look on his face. He hated using his parent's old car.

We had an amazing day at the zoo, I never got bored looking at the animals and their habitats. It was almost four in the afternoon, and Ben just wanted to use the washroom before we headed to dinner. My feet hurt, so I sat on a bench and watched the snow leopard cubs stumbling around. There was another woman watching them, but standing a lot closer to the cage. She had a small child, not much older than three I'd say, and they were having a whispered conversation. I couldn't really hear, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I could have sworn I heard the child say that the Snow leopards smelt delicious. That was ridiculous though, so I just shrugged it off.

It was hard to look away from them though, they were just so beautiful, and they were dressed up way too fancily to be at a zoo. They kind of reminded me of the Cullens, like Angels dressed in designer clothes, trying to blend in with the rest of the world. When she turned around though, my heart skipped a beat, and the mother glanced at me like she had heard it.

My first thought was of Bella, but there were too many differences. One, Bella didn't have a three year old daughter, and I had heard the kid call her "Momma," but this person also seemed taller, had longer, darker hair, different eyes,and her face was different too. Thinking over that, really she just had a similar face shape and lips to Bella, and Bella would have ended up in a coma trying to walk in those boots. "Sorry," I said, when I realised they had caught me staring. The kid way hiding behind her mother's legs, peeking around at me. "You look a lot like a friend of mine, I just thought you were her for a moment."

"It's okay, don't worry about it." She had a beautiful smile, and that was definitely not Bella's voice. "Have a nice afternoon" she said, picking up her daughter and walking away.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Ben asked from behind me, I jumped.

"I don't know, I didn't ask what her name was." Somewhere inside me though, even after seeing all the differences, she still reminded me so much of Bella. But Bella was in Alaska, at college with her husband.

**Hey guys! Thanks again to everyone who's read so far into my story, it makes me so happy :D! I hope this chapter isn't too boring, I was going to just skip through this day, since I personally think Valentine's day is kinda lame. It's the day after you got to get excited for, when all the chocolate goes on sale :D! But it's taking me awhile to write through some of the next few chapters, and I've been busy all weekend, so I wanted to give you something to hold you over. Take care guys!  
3 Kitty**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.**

Chapter 12  
Bella

Edward was waiting around the corner for us. If I was right, Angela didn't really believe it was me, but I didn't want to give her enough time to contradict that impression. If she had seen Edward, she wouldn't have second guessed herself. Fortunately, I was a lot better of an actress now, and I know my face didn't betray me when I looked over at her. I had been alarmed, hearing a human's heart rate speed up so quickly, but it didn't last long. I heard Ben before I saw him coming, and didn't want to take the chance of him seeing me so closely either. Edward was waiting for me right where I knew he would be.

"She thought it was you at first, but there were too many things that conflicted with her last memory of you." I relaxed, but kept Renesmee in my arms. Edward wrapped one arm around us as we walked back towards the parking lot, but we had to wait a few minutes before going to the car because Angela and Ben were going to theirs as well.

Renesmee sat on my lap on the drive back; we were perfectly safe with Edward driving, and me holding her. She had a hand on my cheek, asking me about Angela. Edward could hear it in her thoughts, and she still preferred to speak this way if she could. After she was satisfied with my answers, she wanted to know if we could go hunting for snow leopards some time. I told her no, they were an endangered species, and we always made sure to avoid hurting animal populations. She understood, and I knew that she would follow those rules as well. Even though they smelt better then elk or deer, she loved them and thought they were beautiful, and she wouldn't want to harm their future either.

It was a longer drive back, and Renesmee fell asleep after about an hour. She had loved the zoo, and tired herself out. She was eager to absorb any information she could get about the exotic animals, memorizing their scents, their habitats, and other details so she could try tracking some of them, someday, and watch them in their natural habitat. She hadn't wanted us to find out about that part, but Edward had told me, and we made sure she would know not to go out and do that alone. We were still planning to go and visit Nahuel when things calmed down, to ask him some questions and hopefully determine why her growth rate had slowed so much. She was growing just a little bit faster than a human, and at this rate, she would look the same age as me in another ten years, and Nahuel said that he had stopped growing after only seven.

With another hour and half left to get home, I found my mind wandering while watching the trees speed by. I was relieved that Angela didn't really recognise me, but it made me think of the first time I saw my new self. I couldn't find myself anywhere in my features, there was a stranger staring back at me from the giant mirror that Alice was holding. I had wanted to talk to Angela so badly, she had been my favourite human friend in high school, and a part of me missed the days of filling out graduation announcements and talking about jealous boyfriends. I laughed at the memory, and concentrated on it as hard as I could, wanting to keep it with me forever.

"We were very lucky today. If you had been dressed in any of your usual clothes, and if Angela hadn't heard Renesme call you her mother, or if she had even seen me, I'm certain she would have known that it was you." His voice sounded ashamed, he had been scanning the crowd for anyone who might know us, but it had been too crowded, and he hadn't picked up Angela or Ben. "Even with me here with you two, it's not safe to be in public this close to Forks." I didn't know what to say, because it was true. I intertwined my left hand with his right, and squeezed gently.

"Don't be hard on yourself. We'll be more careful now." My funeral wouldn't help with this. Either seeing me after I was 'officially' dead, or discovering my transformed appearance, they were equally as dangerous to my family. I didn't know if I wanted to hide and wait, unable to go out with my husband and daughter in public, for another ten months. "But I think we may have to leave sooner." I didn't need to elaborate, he nodded solemnly, and I knew he felt the same way.

The next few days passed by slowly, the hours seeming to get longer as I got more and more upset. I was dreading my upcoming phone calls with my mother. I would only speak to her twice more in my existence. I'd call her on Monday, letting her know that I had caught a bug, and then again on Tuesday, Carlisle will call her and tell her that he doesn't think I have much time when it 'gets worse' and I would say my last good bye to her.

Jasper and I became very close over that week, he was always trying to help me by taking just a little of the nervousness and guilt away. And then there were our practices. We'd train for hours upon hours every day, going through dozens of DVDs that Alice would buy us. I grew better and better, and after a while, with my strength, we became closely matched in our abilities, and that just made it more enjoyable.

We also became the house's favourite source of entertainment. Renesmee, Alice, Rose, Emmett, and even Edward would watch us, the guys and Rose making bets quite frequently. Unfortunately for Alice, no one would let her bet. I think once Edward realised how good I was, he started to worry less, and actually enjoyed watching. It was beneficial to everyone that watched us also, Edward didn't like Renesme trying to remember all sorts of fighting techniques, but I was more realistic. There was nothing wrong with her having knowledge of how to defend herself. Jacob would stop by often during these times, and sit with Renesmee while she cheered me on. What put her in a good mood, put him in one too. It amused me watching them talk sometimes; Jacob was just so huge compared to her. She wasn't even up to his waist yet, and she looked so slim compared to his muscular build. Renesmee was so intelligent though, you would think she was the same age as him sometimes listening to them. She absorbed information like a sponge, always asking questions, always wanting more, and always _remembering_. Jacob hadn't applied himself in school very much, and I often heard her giving him lectures of things she learned. He always paid very close attention to her, and took her seriously, it was very sweet.

When I wasn't playing with Jasper, I filled my time with Edward and Renesme. It was getting harder and harder to find reading material for her. Edward started ordering books online, but shipping would take a while. We moved on to some of his college text books from courses he'd taken, and Renesmee would fall asleep every night to his lectures about History, Philosophy, and Science. We would often keep discussing them for hours after she fell asleep, I found medical sciences really interesting, and could see why Carlisle enjoyed his work so much.

Charlie came over twice to visit, on Thursday and Saturday, and he was looking more and more run down. I was worried about what the upcoming events were doing to him, and I talked about that fear to Edward the night before my first phone call to Renee.

"Well, of course he's not looking forward to your funeral, but it's work that's been dragging him down this week." Edward told me. There had been a few deaths in Seattle, some bodies had been found washed up on shore, all of them had been residents of Seattle, and all had been stabbed to death. The police force was concerned that the mass murderer from last year, that had never been found, had started to kill again. We couldn't really tell them that it had been a newborn vampire army, and that we had destroyed them all. I was concerned that there may be a crazy newborn in Seattle again, but apparently Alice had been looking, and didn't see any newborns there. She couldn't find out who was behind it, and my family was already busy, so we'd have to leave the police force to do their own job.

After Renesmee woke up the next day, we got dressed in some sturdy clothes and went further than we usually did to go hunting. It was a sunny day, but unusually cold for the time of year. Renesmee's breath made puffs of white in the air. We invited Jake to come with us, and Renesme rode on his back so that Edward and I could run faster. I needed the distraction, and the strength, to be able to get through this afternoon. My eyes were completely black.

We had been out for hours, but it felt like only minutes had passed when we walked back into the main house through the back patio doors. Was it really three in the afternoon already? I picked up the special phone we had for calling Renee- the one I used to call Charlie when I came back from my honeymoon. It was named after the private medical center we pretended I was staying at, and if the number was called back there was a fake recorded message system for my hospital room- and sat on the couch. Edward sat down beside me. "I can stay here with you while you talk to her, you don't have to be alone."

"Thank you Edward, but I think I would like some privacy for this. Maybe you could sit outside with Renesme?" We had never really talked about her other Grandmother before, and now was not a good time. He kissed me, and within a minute the entire house was empty. I took a few deep breaths, then dialed her number. She picked up on the third ring.

"Bella! I'm glad you called, I was about to fly over there and to see what was going on, you haven't answered my e-mail yet." I had checked my e-mail already this morning, but there was nothing. She probably just sent it a couple hours ago; my mom wasn't known for her patience.

"Sorry mom, I've been really tired today, haven't gotten to check it yet." I wasn't good at changing the tone of my voice yet, so Rose had altered the sound card in the phone to distort my voice. I just had to turn it on with an app, speak slowly, and throw in a cough every once in a while.

"Oh honey, what's wrong? You don't sound very well, I thought you were getting better?"

"I just caught a bit of a bug, that's all." It took a while to calm her down, but she eventually eased up. There was so much that I wanted to talk to her about. We talked about Phil, his work, my mom had been working part time recently too, doing some secretarial work at a travel agency, and it led to us talking for hours about our road trips we use to take. She had dozens of questions, when would I be able to leave the medical center, how Edward and the family were doing, did we still plan on going to university in Alaska, were we thinking of having of having children? I wished so badly that my mom could meet Renesmee, she had always wanted grandchildren. I was her only child, and Phil didn't have any. Before I knew it, it was seven thirty, and Renee was saying that she had to go eat dinner. "I love you mom, I miss you so much."

"I miss you too honey, but I'll be there as soon as you get on a flight back. You beat that bug fast, okay?"

"Sure thing, Mom." I coughed again

"Love you Bella"

"I love you too mom," I whispered. She hung up.

I didn't notice how heavily I was breathing. I didn't need the air, but I guess my body was trying to find its own way to cope with the pain. I felt an arm wrap around me, it must have been Edward, he would have been listening for me to finish. I shut my eyes, and leaned into his embrace, but I couldn't make my body do any more than that, there was just too much going through my head. The sun set, and rose again, and we still hadn't moved. I felt Edward speak a few times, but didn't really take any of it in. It felt like only moments had passed when Carlisle sat down on my other side, and rested a hand on my knee.

"Bella, it's time. Are you ready?"

_No_, I thought, but I nodded anyways.

He dialed her number, and I was able to hear everything that she said. "Bella! Are you feeling better this morning?"

"Sorry Renee, it's Carlisle."

"Oh, hi Carlisle! It's been a while, how is Esme doing?"

"I'm sorry Renee, but I'm not calling with good news," I had never heard Carlisle's voice like this before, it was broken, tired, and filled with pain. He sounded like, well, like his child had died. "Bella caught a bug yesterday."

"Yes, I was talking to her yesterday, she told me." I could her fear in her voice now, I gripped Edward's hand. "Has it gotten worse? How is she?"

Carlisle paused for a moment, then sighed. "The bug aggravated whatever it was that had been making her sick. Her entire immune system is shutting down, we've done everything we could think of, but nothing's working." His voice broken on the end, and I could hear my mother's breathing speed up through the phone.

"What are you saying Carlisle?" She was crying now.

"I'm so sorry Renee, but we don't think she's going to make it through the afternoon."

This memory would forever be burned into my soul. I heard her fall to the ground, crying in agony. Her sobs were loud and painful, and I could see her in my mind, on the floor crying in her living room, gasping for air. Carlisle was endlessly patient as he waited for Phil to take the phone and ask what was happening. Carlisle told him, and asked if she wanted to speak to me. She worked as hard as she could to get her breathing under control enough to speak. "Does she know?"

"We didn't tell her, but I think she's guessed."

"What about Charlie, have you called him yet?"

"No, the line was busy; you're the first I've told. She's weak, but she wants to talk to you. Can you do this?"

She didn't answer his question, but instead said, "I want to speak to her." Carlisle switched on the distortion for the phone, then handed it to me. I stared at it for a minute before I could bring it to my ear.

"Hi mom," I said quietly. I didn't need the distortion, my voice was hoarse as I forced out the words quietly.

"Bella, I love you so much." Her voice cracked, and she coughed to clear her throat. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" She was trying hard to stay strong for me, but I could tell she was crying, her breath kept catching.

"I'm not in any pain; I think they have me on pain killers. I'm just really tired." I coughed.

"Bella, baby, I'm so sorry I'm not there with you. I don't know what to do."

"No mom, don't be sorry. I don't want you to see me like this. I'm so lucky to have had a mother like you, I wouldn't trade a moment of the time I had with you for anything in the world. I love you so, so much." I couldn't take in any air to talk with, it caught in my throat. I started shaking. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but I just couldn't make any of the words come out.

"I love you too baby. I love you more than anything in the world." She was sobbing openly now, and it was just too much, I couldn't do it anymore. "Are you still there Bella?"

"Yeah mom, sorry, I'm just so tired right now, I think I just need to close my eyes for a few minutes." Carlisle held out his hand for the phone, his face pained. I nodded. "Carlisle wants to talk to you again."

"Ok-kay," my mom forced out, sniffling. "I love you B-bella," She whispered again. I coughed, and replied in a whisper, it was as loud as I could make my voice go.

"I love you too Mom. Please, take care of yourself." Those were the last words I said to my mom. I handed the phone back to Carlisle.

"Should I call you again…Later?" Carlisle asked her, Phil had to reply for her, she was crying too hard to talk now. As soon as he hung up, I fell to pieces, sobbing loudly. Edward stayed with me, and held me in his arms as I cried without tears. No one came into the room, leaving us alone with my grief.


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.**

Chapter 13  
Renesmee

We didn't really leave the family property for a while after our trip to the zoo. I had had so much fun there! There were so many animals whose existence I had not even been aware of, and so many new scents. I wanted to know everything I could about them, and the small plaques that described the animals were just a tease. My dad was able to give me much more details. The animals could smell my parents, and it seemed like it was stressing them a bit, so we never stayed in one spot for too long. I thought that the wolves they had were funny, they were so tiny compared to Jacob.

I'm used to being around a lot of people, but only because my family is so big. I get nervous when we go into places that are crowded with so many humans, but I don't think anyone in the world has parents as powerful as mine. While holding onto their hands, I know there's nothing in the world that could get through them to me, but I couldn't help hiding behind my mom when some of them looked at me strangely. After seeing a woman that my mom said she knew in her human life, my parents were eager to get home. They didn't feel safe anymore, even though I did. Things were fine after we met that boy who was in the news. When I thought of his disappearance though, it put a lump in my throat.

Since we came back, my mom seemed to get more stressed out by the day. Her fighting with Jasper seemed to make her happier though, and it made me happier to see her mood lighten. It was really fun to watch too! Mom was getting really good, and I would cheer for her every time she was able to push or throw uncle Jasper out of their circle. She looked so cool, more like a dancer than a fighter, but it was a very deadly dance.

A week later, on a Monday, was when mom got the worst. She was very distracted, and didn't notice half the time when someone would start talking to her. I have never been afraid of my mom in the slightest, only afraid _for_ her. It did creep me out though seeing her eyes completely black, and we went hunting together. She took down four deer, and I don't think she was even aware about it.

I knew what was going on, my parents had told me that they would need to pretend that mom was dead. Humans from her last life were getting too suspicious with the way she had been handling them so far, and if humans found out about our secret, the Volturi would come back. She wasn't really dying though, so I wasn't upset, just worried about her.

After we got back from our hunt, we went inside, but dad took me back out in a minute. Everyone was outside except for mom. My uncles cleared the thin layer of ice and snow off the drive way, and set up some basketball nets. We divided up, guys versus girls, and played until the sun had set. I wasn't nearly as fast as the rest of my family, so I spent most of the game on Aunt Rose's shoulders. I had pretty good aim. By the time we had finished, I was completely exhausted, and I hadn't noticed that my dad was missing. Aunt Rose took me up to my bedroom, and after I was in my pyjamas and wrapped up in my warm bed, she laid down beside me. "Would you like me to read to you Renesmee? What book were you guys on yesterday?" She was the only one besides my parents that still used my full name, but I think it was because she disliked Jake so much, not the nickname, like my mother does. I put my hand on her face and asked, _Where are Momma and Dad?_

She took a moment before replying. "Your mom is dealing with some very difficult things right now, and your dad is trying to help her. She'll be fine, just give her some time." I showed her that I didn't really understand why it was so hard on her, it's not like she was actually dying. "No, she isn't to us, but to everyone outside of this family, it's like she is. It's not easy saying goodbye to people you care about, or knowing that you can never speak to them again."

I thought about being in the tent before the Volturi came. My mom had thought then that we would be saying goodbye forever. I remember the feeling of thinking that I'd never see her again, and my eyes watered. I wondered if my mom's mother was still alive. If so, they would be going through that same experience.

Rose didn't want to continue reading the science text book my dad was reading last night, and settled for re-reading one of the poetry books on my shelf. I hated reading books twice, I remembered everything from the first time perfectly, and didn't see the point in a second read through. I was so tired though, that I fell asleep in minutes, missing the sound of my mother's beautiful voice already.

When I woke up, Aunt Rose was still in my room. She must have enjoyed the book she was reading to me last night, because it was still open in her hands. She didn't look like she was reading though, just staring into space with a sad look on her face, but it disappeared as soon as she felt me move. I looked at the clock, and it was almost noon. I was shocked that I had slept so long. "Good morning Renesmee," she said in a cheerful voice. "What would you like to do today?"

_Can I see Mom and Dad?_ I asked after sitting up, and putting my palm on her face. She frowned.

"I don't think right now is a very good time, maybe later this afternoon." We walked downstairs, and I caught a glimpse of my mom sitting on my dad's lap in the living room. He was holding her tightly, and it seemed like she was shaking. Uncle Jasper came up behind me, and I jumped when he laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. We went down to the basement.

We didn't come down here too often, and I sometimes even forgot that there was one in this giant house. It was a huge, open room that was completely sound proof. There were built in speakers along all the walls, which were connected to a giant TV that took up most of the back wall. There were shelves on either side of the TV, one was covered in every gaming system that you could ever imagine, and the other was packed tight with video games, and a huge, luxurious couch that was shaped into a half circle took up the center of the room. I liked books, and really enjoyed reading, but I loved videogames. I wasn't very good at them though, my hands were too small to use the controllers properly. RPG's were my favourite, and I turned on the old Nintendo 64, and played Zelda: Ocarina of Time for most of the afternoon. I could see why my parents didn't encourage me to play often, because I could have sat down here for days never looking away from the TV. Today was different though, I was so worried about mom that I couldn't concentrate on the game, and I kept getting bit by those huge, stupid flowers that would spin in circles. Five o-clock came around, and my dad came downstairs and sat next to me. I threw the controller to Uncle Emmett, he was getting frustrated watching me play, and I could tell that he wanted a turn.

_Is Momma okay? Can I see her_? I thought to my dad. He pulled me onto his lap and kissed my forehead. "She's upset, but she will be okay in time. I drew her a bath to help her relax, you can see her when she's done. She misses you already of course; she just doesn't want you to worry about her."

_Did she have to say goodbye to her mom?_ My dad's face was surprised. Grandpa Charlie would stay in our lives, he was the only human not connected to the pack that knew about me. We had never talked about my other Grandmother though, and that was the only reason I could think of that would do this to my mom. My father laid a hand on the side of my face, and smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You are so intelligent for your age. Yes, your mother had to say goodbye to your Grandmother this morning. She loves her very much, but it's not safe for her to see your mom now, she's very different from your Grandpa." _What's her name?_ I would rather ask my mom the questions I had about the grandmother I never met, but I didn't think it would be easy for my momma to talk about her anytime soon. My dad nodded, listening to my internal conversation. "Her name is Renee. Your mother named you after both her mother and mine." The thought made me smile, I wish I could meet this woman that I was named after. "Come upstairs with me," My dad said. I held out my arms, and he smiled and picked me up.

We went upstairs, and my Dad went up to Aunt Alice. "How long before she decides to come out?" my dad asked her, most likely talking about mom.

"It will be half an hour before she decides that she can't stay away from Renesmee any longer." Alice said absentmindedly, she was typing away on the computer. I could also hear Grandpa Carlisle talking on the phone to someone in his office in the next room. My dad moved me onto his back, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. We went outside, and in two minutes we were at the door to the cottage. Dad sat me down on the couch, and went over to one of the many bookshelves that covered the walls. He picked up a shoebox that was on top of one of the shelves, and brought it over when he sat down next to me. I leaned over as he opened it up, and saw that it was filled with photographs. Only the one sitting on the top was in a frame, and he handed it to me.

It was a moment before I recognised my mother in the picture. "She's sixteen in this photo, and that's your Grandmother Renee sitting next to her." My mom looked like a completely different person in this picture. Her hair was shorter and lighter, her face rounder, her skin darker, her cheeks bright red, and eyes that were the exact same color as mine. I had already known she had the same eyes as me though, I had seen them right before my Dad changed her. My attention was more focused on my Grandmother though. You could see the resemblance between them in the shape of her face, her hair, and their build. She was very pretty, and you could tell through her smile that she was a lot more outgoing than my mom was at the time. She seemed completely uncomfortable having her picture taken. My dad laughed at my thoughts, and told me that I was right. My mom did not like being put in the spot light. I asked if we could look through the rest of mom's pictures, but he told me that momma would probably prefer to show them to me herself someday. He put the box back on top of the shelf, and we headed back to the main house.

My mom came down minutes later, and there was no time at all before she had me in her arms. "Renesmee, I'm so sorry I was away from you for so long. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Even with everything she was going through, she still worried so much about me. My eyes started to water. "Oh, sweetheart, what's wrong?" I put both hands on her face, and filled her mind with what I was feeling. How her love for me made me feel so blessed, and how sorry I was for what she was going through. She stared at me, surprised for a moment, before crushing me against her in another hug. "I'm the one who's blessed" she whispered to me, and I knew she believed what she said completely.

Bella

It is hard to deal with so much pain in this new body. Instead of being able to actually cry out the pain in tears, I felt like I was going to drown, needing air and not being able to pull enough in. I couldn't think. But I had a lot of room in my mind, and could organize my thoughts a lot more easily than before. I knew that I was doing the right thing. This would keep her safe. When my breathing returned to normal, and my body and mind started to relax, I wrapped my arms loosely around Edward's neck, and rested my head against his chest. He kept me wrapped in his arms.

When I heard Renesmee moving around her room, I finally looked up. It was noon. It was strange for her to sleep in so late, and I found myself wondering what she had been doing last night. I realised that I hadn't gotten off of this couch in twenty-one hours. I felt too drained to start panicking again. "Is Renesmee okay?"

"She's fine love," Edward replied, "She loves spending time with her aunts and uncles, but of course she misses you already. Don't worry though; take as much time as you need." I nodded against his chest, and he held me more tightly. It reminded me of those dark days while he was gone, just wrapping my arms around myself, trying to stop my body from crumbling apart. But he was here now, Edward was the one holding me together when I couldn't do it myself, and I drew strength from that.

"How about a warm bath? I find the hot water can be quite relaxing sometimes." It sounded like a good idea, but I wasn't ready to have him let go of me yet. I let him know as much, and he just kissed my hair.

Jasper and Emmett had taken our daughter to the games room in the basement, and after a couple of hours I felt steady enough to move again. Edward drew me that warm bath, and I just laid unmoving under the water, watching the surface ripple and play with the light, not needing any air. It felt like the water was slowly washing away some of the pain and sadness, and once the water cooled, I just couldn't stay away from my daughter any longer. I _needed_ to hold her in my arms, and tell her that I loved her. When my head broke the surface, I noticed a pair of sweatpants, and a t-shirt that was way too big for me, folded on a chair. They were nothing like my old sweats that I'd wear when I was in a bad mood, they were fancy designer ones. Seriously? Who buys designer sweatpants? The thought made me feel more like myself, and when I put them on, I could see why someone would pay the extra money for them. They were incredibly comfortable, even by vampire standards. I pulled on the shirt, and walked out of the bathroom. I could hear my daughter's hummingbird-like heartbeat, and I was in front of her in under a second, pulling her into my arms.

"Renesmee, I'm so sorry I was away from you for so long. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" The look in her eyes made my chest hurt, and I couldn't really tell what it meant, and then her eyes started to water. I hated myself for staying away from her for so long. "Oh, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

When she put both of her tiny hands on my face, she pushed her emotions on me so hard that I felt like I was feeling them myself. She saw how much I loved and worried about her, and how it made her feel so special that she didn't have words. I crushed her against me in another hug, and was thankful that my daughter was so strong. "No," I told her, "I'm the one who is blessed."

I truly meant what I said. Even with the pain of letting go of my mother, and the knowledge that I would be doing the same to all of my high school friends within the next few days, I was still luckier than anyone else in the world. I had a loving father, and brothers and sisters now. My adoring husband, my best friend, and the most amazing daughter in the world. No one has ever had as much as I do, and I would remember that every day, and do anything I could to keep them safe.

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading this far into my story! And a special that you to those who have left reviews and followed/favourited After the Break of Dawn. Sorry that Renesmee's chapters are usually so short, but I like to give a bit of a different perspective of what's going on, and she helps fill in some of the gaps. I also wanted to apologize in advance, I've been posting chapters really quickly, and they haven't been the best quality grammar-wise, but I'm slowly going through them and correcting when I have time.**

**-Kitty**


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own the characters or material in this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer

Chapter 14  
Bella

It was a hard week, to say the least, but my family did everything they could possibly do to make the situation as easy as possible for me. They did all the work. Well, really there was nothing I needed to personally do, I was "Officially" dead now, and had no preferences for the ceremony.

Alice had told me that she saw Charlie's phone call with Renee, and he had played his first role well. Renee needed a day before she was able to travel, and I was thankful that Phil was taking care of her, taking a few weeks off work, and doing her phone calls for her. My ceremony would be in Forks, and she was here Thursday night. They were staying with Charlie, and Sue really bonded with my mother. It made it even harder on my father that he couldn't see me during this week, while hosting my mother. He was just as bad at lying as I used to be. It was also hard for him to take time off work, knowing just hours away there was a killer on the loose. Two more bodies were found that week.

It was Friday when Alice had a vision of the Volturi coming to check on the situation. Caius sent Jane and Alec, along with Dimitri and Felix to Seattle to make sure it wasn't being caused by a vampire. Alice said she couldn't see them coming anywhere close to us though, and we did not want to go seek them out to tell them that they were wasting their time. It still made me very uneasy knowing they would be that close by though. There was no way I could leave my daughter with only the wolves to protect her, and my entire family needed to be at my funeral. We could think of no other option but to have her there, with me in disguise. I wouldn't be lying still in a coffin, I looked too different, and no amount of make-up could fix that. Besides, the condition I supposedly had, had kept me in quarantine; it wouldn't be safe to fly my body. I had been cremated at the hospital, and brought back in an urn accompanied by Edward, Carlisle, and Esme supposedly on Friday morning, and had to hide out at the cabin with Alice, Jasper, Jacob, and Renesmee while the rest of the family discussed the funeral arrangements with my parents.

When Sunday came around, I had had plenty of time to work through my emotions, and I felt that I would be able to make it through my funeral. Alice had bought me a blonde wig and blue eye contacts, and I wore a simple, inconspicuous black knee-length dress, and high black heels that made me seem a lot taller. I also wore a black pea coat, this weather would still seem pretty cool to humans. We didn't feel the need to put Renesmee into a disguise.

We left at the same time as the rest of the family, who went to the church early as was usual for immediate family members, but Renesme and I drove over separately in Emmett's Jeep. We waited in the vehicle for a few hours together before going in, after a decent amount of people had already arrived. It was pouring outside, and Renesme and I were just another black umbrella in the parking lot.

We sat in the empty back row, in the chair furthest into the corner. Renesmee was getting very nervous around all of the humans, and sat in my lap, with my arms curled around her the entire time. I hated having my baby here for this, she was just too young. But she was very brave, and sat very respectfully the entire time. As we watched the pews fill up, I was surprised by the amount of people that had come. My parents, Sue, Phil, Esme, Carlisle, Edward and Jacob filled up the first row, followed behind by my new siblings, a few members of the pack, Angela, Ben, Tyler and Jessica. I recognised a few of Charlie's co-workers, Mike Newton's parents: also my old employers, employees from Charlie's favourite local diner, teachers, more people that I graduated high school with. So many people that cared about me, I wish I could somehow let them know how thankful I was to have had them in my life. Every once in a while, Renesmee would ask me who certain people in the crowd were. It was surprisingly easy to talk to her about this, I wanted her to know these people who all made an impact on my life at one time or another, and I found whispering little memories into her ear made the whole process easier. She was happy too, learning all these new things about her mother. I was human when I made her, and my human life would always be a part of her too.

My family wasn't very religious, so the ceremony wasn't either. The church just happened to be the best building for holding such a large crowd. The alter was covered in all different arrangements of flowers that were sent with condolences, and next to the podium was a very large portrait of me. I recognised the blue dress I had worn on my wedding day after I had taken off my gown. My hair was down, and in beautiful waves from just having had it unpinned. My cheeks were bright red, and I had a great smile on my face as I was walking down the stairs. It must have been taken just before we had left for our honeymoon. I found myself holding my breath as each of my closest loved ones stepped up to the podium to say a few words about me.

My mother and father went up together, my mom holding on to Charlie for strength. She was crying, and I was surprised to see that my father was red eyed also. I couldn't wait to speak to him again, and make sure he was okay. "Bella was always very mature for her age. A lot of the time, I felt like she was playing the role of parent, always watching over me, worrying about me, keeping me safe from my own reckless ambitions... She kept strong, up until our very last conversation even, still trying to protect me from sadness. Even though her life was too short, I'm glad she got to accomplish so much. She found her true love, and I'm so thankful to you Edward for giving her that happiness. It's more than many accomplish in their lifetimes." My mother covered her face, and leaned into Charlie as she wept. He leaned up to the microphone next.

"She was the same way around me. When she moved back to Forks two years ago, she changed my life. My days were brighter, and seemed to have purpose again. I'm not sure how I had survived before she came back. It was so hard, giving her up to another man at such a young age. The only reason I was able to do it was because I had never seen two kids more in love. Edward, son, thank you for giving her so much of that. You filled her life, made it whole, and in doing so you made mine whole as well." When my dad had finished, and walked my mom back down on the pew, they both hugged Edward at the same time. It was his turn to speak.

Vampires can't shed tears, their eyes don't turn red or puffy, but Edward didn't need any of that. You could see his pain clearly in his eyes; he looked like he was burning alive. I knew he was acting, but the sight still broke my frozen heart, and I wanted to run up and comfort him. He slowly stepped up to the microphone.

"Bella made me a better person. She was everything I could ever want, or ever dream of having, my soul mate. A million years could never weaken the love we have for each other. I vowed to her that I would love and cherish her as long as I live, and nothing is going to change that. I believe she was the reason I was created, to be with her, and to have had and held her, even for that short amount of time, made me luckier than any man. I'm sure she is with us here even now, looking down on us and trying to strengthen us. She made it her life's mission to protect everyone she loved, no matter what the cost to herself, and I'm sure she is still doing that now. It's why she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone that she was sick, and insisted on pretending we were away for school. I just wish I could have-" Edward's voice seemed to be caught in his throat, and he dropped his head into his hands. Esme went up to help him back to his seat. I felt a drop of moisture on my arm, and saw that Renesmee was crying as she watched her father. I held her closer to me, and slipped out of the room unnoticed.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry that you had to sit through that. We don't need to go back in, they'll be done very soon." She nodded, and hid her face in my neck, clinging to me tightly as she cried. "You can show me," I whispered to her, "you don't need to keep this inside." I rubbed her back soothingly, and it wasn't long before she opened her mind to me. I would not force her to do it by taking her hand, the idea felt wrong in this situation. I noticed for the second time how she could make me feel like they were _my_ emotions. Her gift was getting stronger.

It had felt too real to her, especially after seeing Edward. It caused her physical pain to think of me dying like most of the people in there thought I had. I think it's the first time she's really been able to see the enormity of what death meant. I stroked the tears away from her eyes, and kissed her face repeatedly. "My precious Renesmee, that is something you don't need to worry about. The woman that they knew in there, that is not who I am anymore. I'm strong now, and I will fight with everything in my being, the whole family will, to keep us together." I couldn't tell her that it was impossible for me to be destroyed; I would not lie to my daughter. But she saw the other truth behind what I said: our family was so powerful, even the Volturi were afraid to confront us. That comforted her.

I was so distracted by my worries for my daughter that I didn't pay attention when people started coming out for the reception. I wasn't being buried, so they kept the reception in the banquet hall of the church. We stayed, but tried to make ourselves invisible. The family didn't want us going too far, and I wouldn't refuse their wishes after everything they'd just done for me. It was very odd, being able to hear all the different conversations that people were having about me. I didn't hear anything suspicious really, so that was a good sign at least. Every once in a while I would hear a couple people laughing at a memory of me. Even though the laughs would always end quickly, they still lightened the weight my mind was carrying. These humans had their entire lives ahead of them; they would heal and move on. When Edward was done speaking to everyone offering their condolences, we went up to him and gave him a light hug; it was all I could do in this crowded room without drawing attention to us. "That was beautiful Edward, thank you. How are you holding up?"

"I'll just be glad when I can hold both of you in my arms again. You don't need to worry about me though." He said, keeping his hand on my shoulder. Something caught his attention behind me, but I didn't have time to turn around or leave.

"Edward? Who's this?" My dad asked suspiciously. He knew I was alive still, kind of, and I guess the idea of Edward chatting with another woman bothered him. I smiled and turned around with Renesmee still in my arms, then froze. Renee was on his arm. It was a moment before he realized it was me, and then his expression was filled with shock.

I made my decision in less than a second, and then held out my hand to shake my dad's. "Hello Chief Swan, my name is Elizabeth, this is my daughter Vanessa. We're friends of Carlisle's. My deepest sympathies for your loss." He shook my hand, but it was a moment before he could speak.

"T-thank you… Elizabeth. This is Isabella's mother, Renee." I went to shake her hand, glad to have warmed them from holding Renesmee for so long. I couldn't do anything about their hardness though.

"Renee, I am so sorry for what you're going through." She shook my hand, while giving me a very concentrated look. She seemed to sigh in defeat after a while, losing some sort of inner battle. Then she looked at Renesmee.

Renesmee was staring back wide-eyed, soaking in every feature of her Grandmother for the first time. After a minute or two though, she got uncomfortable under my mother's gaze, and hid behind my fake blond hair. Renee broke down and started crying again, louder than before. Phil came and guided her away.

"Edward, I think it would be best if we went and waited in the Jeep."

"No, the Volvo is parked closer to the building; Jasper will wait with you in there."

I nodded, not wanting to risk hugging him again here, and Jasper was waiting at the door for me, hearing what Edward had said. The rain pounded on all sides of the car, blocking out all of the conversation from inside. All three of us relaxed, and I continued reading one of the new books that Edward had ordered. We were going through the book of Homer. Renesmee drifted off after a while, but Jasper asked me to keep reading, he was getting into it. It had turned dark when the last of the people left the church, followed by my family.

I threw Emmett the keys to his Jeep as I got out to move into the back seat with Edward. Alice got into the front, and we followed everyone else in the Jeep back to the house. Everyone was quiet, and just relieved that the hardest part was over I think. Edward had me wrapped in his arms as soon as he got in. Today, pretending and having to act like I was gone, was very hard on him. I knew I would feel the same if our places were reversed. Once we pulled onto the driveway, his entire body stiffened for a moment, and then he smashed his window open, yelling "NO! EMMETT, STOP!"

But Emmett didn't hear him in time, and the whole Jeep was thrown far into the woods. Mike Newton was standing there, in the center of the driveway, soaking wet, with bright, scarlet eyes next to a vampire I have never seen before.

We were all out of the car within a second. Alice, Jasper and Edward surrounded Renesmee and I as I threw out my shield. I shifted her to my back to free my hands, and she clung there tightly, shaking.

"Mike, Kristen," Edward pleaded, "You don't need to do this." The air was filled with Mike's growl when he heard Edward's voice, and the two of them lunged toward each other at the same time that Alice and Jasper ran at the female Edward has called Kristen.

Felix jumped out through the trees taking down Jasper, and it threw Edward by surprise, breaking his concentration. Mike was able to grab onto Edwards arm, ripping it clean out of his shoulder, and then grabbing onto his head. My wordless shriek filled the night as I lunged at him, grabbing Mike by surprise and biting into his neck. I didn't even think before ripping his head off with my teeth. Pain like I have never felt since being turned shot up my side, breaking my concentration, and my shield. I felt Renesmee being ripped from my back, and I was crushed by Dimitri's two giant arms constricting around me. He had bitten me.

He turned me around quickly as the woods were filled with Renesmee's shrieks of pain. Jane was holding her up off of the ground, her hands wrapped around my daughter's neck, and was watching me with that angelic smile on her face, laughing. The rage that filled me could not be described. My shield flew out from me, but it felt different this time. It was able to throw Dimitri off of me, and knocked Jane away as it wrapped around my daughter. It looked like a thick wall had crashed into her and thrown her away, and she screamed in pain. Within another second I was on top of her. I put both hands into her mouth, and ripped her head clean in two along her jaw before tearing the rest of her to pieces.

Renesmee was safe in my arms again, but the property was still echoing with the sounds of shrieking metal. Emmett, Rose, Esme and Carlisle had just returned, but were frozen, being covered by Alec's mist. Jasper and Alice were still fighting Kristen and Felix, and Edward had pinned down Dimitri after I'd knocked him down. I threw my shield out over the four, throwing down Alec, and Renesmee clung to my back as I lunged at him. He shouted out in agony when my shield hit him, and I held him down, pressing him into the ground with my invisible barrier for a moment, testing its strength. After a minute, when I was confident that I had complete control over it, I stomped on his head, shattering it into a million little pieces.

Emmett, Rose, Esme, and Carlisle had gone to the aid of the others once I had freed them. Esme was building a fire, Emmet and Jasper were tearing apart the rest of Kristen and Felix's twitching bodies, and Rose was helping Alice quickly pick up all the pieces. Carlisle was helping Edward re-attach his arm. I rushed over to them, and watched in silence as the cracks started to seal themselves back together. Renesmee slid of my back, and wrapped her arms around my neck, sobbing. I held onto her tightly, and wrapped my shield around the entire property. I could feel the sparks of life from every one of my family members under my shield, and one other that was foreign to me a few yards away. I kissed Edward's forehead, then dashed over to Jasper and Emmett. They looked up at me, with strange expressions on their faces. I didn't have time to guess at what they were thinking.

"We're still not alone, there's someone over there in the bushes." I pointed to the east. "Come with me."

They were both on my heels as we dashed over to the place I pointed out, and Emmett pushed aside the bush. There, lying on the ground was a small boy that looked no older than ten. He was wrapped up in duct tape and chains, and seemed to be unconscious.


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own the characters or material in this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer

Chapter 15  
Renesmee

The building filled really quickly, and surrounded by all of these humans I don't know, I slid onto my mom's lap for comfort. She didn't seem to mind, wrapping her arms around me and holding me there. It was strange looking up at her and seeing light blue eyes and blond hair, I could see how the disguise would fool the humans; Dad had told me that they couldn't smell like we could. Momma looked really pretty, but I thought she looked better as her usual self. No one looked at us in the back row.

I saw the woman we had met at the zoo a week ago, mom said they had gone to high school together, but that was it. She seemed to be crying harder than most, and I asked my mom about it. She whispered into my ear, "Her name is Angela Webber. She was my closest human friend in school. We got along really well, because she didn't like to pry, or ask questions that were uncomfortable. She was a very caring, gentle person." She told me different things about her human friends, the boy Tyler had apparently almost crushed her with his van once, but my dad had saved her. That's when she had found out that there was something very different about the Cullen family.

It was very sad, listening to Grandma and Grandpa talk about my mom. They made her sound like a mother, even before she had me. But when Dad went up there, it was worse, it had made it seem more real. It had me picturing what life would be like without Mom here, and I hated it. It made my chest hurt just thinking about it, and I tried hard to push out the image immediately. I focussed on my mom's steady breathing, but before Dad had stepped down, my eyes were already filled with water and spilling over.

We were out of the hall before I had noticed we moved, and my mom was standing me up in front of her, she was on her knees to better look into my face as she swept away my tears and kissed me repeatedly. She assured me we were safe, this was a human funeral, and my mom wasn't a human anymore. Mom made our family so strong that even the Volturi were afraid to confront us in battle. Mom didn't move at all when people started moving over to the banquet hall, and I felt guilty for giving her more to worry about today. She kept me in her arms as we walked around the outskirts of the room, trying not to stay too close to any of the humans. Once the crowd had cleared away from my Dad, we went to go check on him. He looked tired, but when his expression turned to one of worry, mom turned around.

Grandma was right there, only a few feet away from us. I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to be this close to her again, so I concentrated with everything I had to memorize her features. She looked back at me, and stared deep into my eyes. When I turned and hid behind Mom's hair, I heard her break down sobbing. We went to wait in the car with Uncle Jasper.

Listening to my Mom's voice, and hearing the rain beat down on the metal roof of the car, I found myself drifting off quickly. But it didn't last long. I awoke to the sound of shattering glass, and my Dad yelling louder than I've ever heard him. Everything moved so fast, but I was instantly alert, and we were out of the car, standing in the pouring rain, facing two vampires.

One of them looked kind of familiar, and my suspicions were confirmed when I heard my dad say the name Mike. What was going on, where was the Jeep with the rest of the family? Why hadn't Alice seen this? I didn't have time to look at her, because my mom had moved me to her back, and I clung there as hard as I could, shaking, and trying to prepare for the worst. I saw it, as Mike ripped off my father's arm. At the same time, my mother was screaming, and lunging toward him. I did not let go as my Mom bit down onto his neck, and his head was thrown into the forest. But when Dimitri bit onto my mother's waist, a small hand, but bigger than mine, ripped me off of her.

I looked down at Jane as she crushed her hands around my neck, lifting me off of the ground. I couldn't breathe, but the pain that filled me over powered that. It was like every cell of my body was being ripped apart, and thrown into lava. I could hear my scream echoing in the woods, but couldn't feel it over the pain. In seconds, I felt a cool, tingling air rush over me, and Jane was thrown away, dropping me in the grass. Looking up, my Mom was already on top of her. I didn't have enough time to look away before she tore the top half of Jane's head from the bottom, but my sight was already locked on Esme, Carlisle, Emmett and Aunt Rose, who were frozen, the air seeming to shimmer around them.

I was able to almost see Mom's shield push Alec's spell off of them, and was astonished when he was thrown back, screaming in pain when the shield made contact with him. I was on her back again, and I shut my eyes as tightly as I could as I heard her foot come down and smash his skull. I was crying now, but I didn't want to leave my mom. What I saw didn't make her a monster, it made me see that nothing could stop her from protecting me. She was able to slide me off of her back and into her arms, and I just clung there, crying even louder. I don't think even she would be strong enough to pull me away from her now. So I was there when she told my uncles that we were still not alone, and led them to a bush. They seemed to be eager to follow her directions, and that is where they found a small boy, well he was a lot bigger than me, but still young, tied up and sleeping in the bushes.

Bella

Emmett picked up the small boy carefully, and we walked back to the others. They had finished picking up the pieces, and were all standing together, waiting for us to come back. Everyone but Edward was surprised the see the boy in Emmett's arms. Edward was in front of me in a second, his arms wrapping around our daughter and I. We stood like that for a few minutes, not needing words, just the feel of each other's bodies alive and whole. Then we walked back to the house. Renesmee's sobs turned quiet, but her tears continued to spill over. I don't know how she was able to cling to me now, after seeing everything that I had just done. She must think I'm a monster.

I hadn't had enough time to process what I'd done, everything had happened so fast. I just destroyed three vampires. I just killed Mike Newton. Jane, Alex, Felix and Dimitri we gone, the Volturi's tracker, best fighter, and two most powerful weapons had just been destroyed. I heard the sounds of giant paws rushing toward us, and within moments Jake was beside us, just as we reached the house. He was staring at Renesmee's shaking body in my arms, and whined.

"She's safe now Jacob, I'm sure Edward is about to explain what had happened. You should listen to relay the information to your pack." He tried to walk in the front door behind me, but couldn't fit his massive form through the door way. I opened the window in the dining room for him to listen.

I tried to put Renesmee down on the couch, but she wouldn't let go of me. "Renesmee, sweet heart, you don't want to listen to this conversation. You've been through too much already today." Her hands sprang out to touch my face. My whole mind was filled with more fear than I've ever felt before. _Momma, please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone, don't make me leave you! Please! Don't put me down, keep me with you!_ She started sobbing again, and for a moment I was speechless. I could see that she didn't fear me, as I'd suspected she would. She felt safest in my arms, especially after seeing what my shield did. What was that? I held her tightly against me and stroked her long curly hair. "Shhh… Renesmee, I won't let you go, don't worry, I've got you." After a couple minutes, her breathing slowed back down to almost normal, and I carried her back into the dining room, sitting in our chair next to Edwards. They had been patiently waiting for me to return, and said nothing about me having Renesmee there. Alice had her head in her hands, and Jasper was rubbing her back and whispering into her ear.

Edward looked to me as he began. "Bella was right about Jane spying on us. She saw when Alice was speaking to Mike Newton, but wasn't alone. She had an old friend in Port Angeles, a vampire named Kristen, which was the woman who was here tonight. They slipped something into his bag as he was leaving the store, so he would have to return. When he did, Kristen was waiting, and turned him. Jane needed an excuse for her and her brother to be sent over that wouldn't raise our suspicions. Mike's appetite did that, but Kristen made sure to hide his kills, she would have him stab them instead of biting them, and throw the bodies into the river to hide the loss of blood. They also wanted him for another reason though: They thought we would hesitate longer over destroying someone we knew. When Jane was sent over with her brother, Felix, and Dimitri, they met up with the two in Seattle, and came down here as soon as they could. It was just coincidence that it was on the day of Bella's funeral. They thought the heavy rainfall might help block them from being heard."

"But that doesn't explain why I didn't see any of it!" Alice yelled. Renesmee flinched at the same time that I did, I have never heard her yell like that before.

"That was because of something else Kristen had recently acquired, the reason Jane needed her. Him." Edward nodded over to the boy in the corner. They had untied him, and cut off all of the duct tape, and he was resting on a giant cushion on the floor, it looked like one of the larger couch cushions. "He's a shape shifter. A true one, not like the wolves. Jane learned from Aro that Alice couldn't see the futures of the wolves, or anyone who was tied into their lives. Between having him, and concentrating on Renesmee, not the rest of us, they were able to keep their plans hidden."

"What were they hoping to accomplish by this?" I hissed. "They didn't think that they could destroy our family with only six vampires, did they."

"No," Edward growled, "Their only goal was to destroy you, Bella."

I was frozen for a moment, and Edward just continued, knowing I'd want to know more. Renesmee was listening, and she wrapped her arms around my neck to hold onto me more securely. "She just wanted revenge for making her gift seem useless in front of so many people. When they arrived in Seattle, the others only agreed to help her because they also thought that you needed to be destroyed, your gift was too much of a threat to the Volturi."

"Speaking of which," Carlisle added in, "What happened out there Bella? What did you do to Alec?"

"She did the same to Jane," Renesmee whispered, catching the room by surprise. "Momma threw them away with her shield."

"Is that true?" Esme asked.

"Yes," I told her. I had wanted to test it more before telling the family about it, but I wouldn't keep secrets from them. I tried to explain it the best I could. "It was like I was able to charge parts of my shield with my own energy, and it threw them away when they came in contact with it."

"Can you try to do it again now?" Emmett asked. I looked at my big brother, then around at the rest of my family. I was surprised to see the look of awe that they all held in their faces.

"No," I said flatly. Emmett looked dejected for a moment, so I explained myself. "Not that I don't want to let you see it Emmett… but when it touched both Alec and Jane, they screamed in pain. I don't want to hurt you." Their looks were starting to make me feel uncomfortable. "Please stop staring at me like that" I told them, and they all looked down.

_It's okay Momma_, Renesmee told me with her thoughts_, It passed right over me, and I could feel it. You won't hurt Uncle Emmett if you don't want to._ She was exhausted, I could tell, but she was afraid to sleep. I didn't blame her; it had been a long day. I just kissed the top of her head gently. Edward relayed what she had said to me to the rest of the room.

I couldn't see it, but I could feel it as I slowly extended it around everyone in the room. As it passed over each of my family members, I saw them shiver. A weird thing for a vampire to do. I concentrated on each of their sparks, and found that they were a lot stronger under this new shield. I wasn't just protecting their minds, but their bodies too. I brought it back into myself, and everyone in the room shuddered again as it passed over them. Just to make sure I could, I tried putting out only the mental barrier, and sure enough, no one noticed as I covered them again. I pulled it back into my mind, and relaxed.

"Well, that wasn't as exciting as I was expecting it to be" Emmett said disappointedly. I burst out laughing at that, and was joined by everyone else in the room. We stopped though quickly when we heard the young boy in the corner groan as he started waking up.

**Hey guys! What did you think? I really wanted to make the fight scene longer, but it's hard when trying to keep with the idea that they're just so darn fast. If you hadn't already guessed, Kristen was the winner for the name. I normally just end up naming female characters after my cat, but I really didn't want to since I would be killing her right away. I also thought it would take longer to write…but nope. I had a lot of trouble putting down my lap top. Thanks to everyone that has read this far into my first fanfic! And a special thanks to those who favorited, followed or reviewed, you guys make my day :) Take care!  
-Kitty**


	16. Chapter 16

I do not own the characters or material for this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer

Chapter 16  
Bella

I wasn't surprised when the child jumped to his feet and backed into the corner when he awoke, but the rest of my family seemed to be. "Calm down guys, he's mostly likely been held hostage by vampires for a while. I would be afraid also waking up in a room filled with them." If he's anything like Jake, he'd not only see, but smell the difference between us and a human.

"I'm not afraid of you!" The boy yelled. His voice was raspy, but surprisingly strong. Edward hissed, but I put a calming hand on his arm. I smiled at the boy, and that seemed to take him by surprise. Or maybe it was Renesmee in my arms, watching him curiously. His face looked shocked for a few seconds, but then he was back on the defense.

"That's good, because you don't need to be." I said gently. "Jake? Can you come in here please?" He had been silent throughout the meeting, but I knew he was still there. It was still raining hard, and it intensified the wet dog smell floating in through the window. He was by my side in a minute, Rose giving him a dirty look and crinkling her perfect nose.

He looked very confused when he saw Jake, and sniffed the air. He seemed to relax slightly, but not by much. Jasper spoke. "We've destroyed the vampires that seemed to have brought you here. We have no desire to hold you against your will, or hurt you in any way. Where are you from? We can take you back to your parents immediately." The boy looked at him suspiciously, but found nothing but honesty and concern in his eyes. I'd bet anything that Jasper could feel the turmoil of his emotions, and was feeling sorry for him. The boy just looked down and shook his head, and I felt a sharp pain going through my chest, the poor child. Renesmee wanted to be put down, and when I complied, she took my hand and led me over to him.

"My name is Renesmee," She said cheerfully, holding out her hand. "What's yours?"

His eyes grew wide, but just like with everyone else, it seemed as soon as he looked into my daughter's eyes, you couldn't help but like her. He smiled, and shook her hand, "I'm Stark."

"Can I show you something Stark?" She asked hopefully. He nodded suspiciously, but that was enough for Renesmee. She stepped forward, and put the hand that I was not holding against his face. He froze while she showed him whatever it was, and didn't try to pull away. When she finished, she smiled at him, and we saw Stark's first real smile. It made him into a new person.

His hair was a very pale blond, with vibrant green eyes. He was very skinny, and not very tall. Compared to the wolves I know, I wouldn't have guessed he was a shape shifter, because he was just so small. Also, he didn't smell anything like the wolves. His scent reminded me of a breath of fresh air, rain, grass, a forest maybe. It was a very wild scent, but pleasant, nothing like the wet dog smell that clung to the wolves. It was very comforting, and I found myself wondering what he changed into.

There was something else that had been weighting down on my chest, getting heavier and heavier by the moment. How could this unknown vampire woman make my friend attack us like that? He didn't even give us a moment to speak before lunging at Edward, like he didn't care at all what we had to say. What was his reason? His voice was pure fury when he screamed, and I needed to know why.

"Stark?" He turned to look at me, and I was glad to see that we didn't seem like a threat to him anymore. "I was wondering… The newborn that was with your group, he used to be a good friend of ours, but he attacked without hesitation on our family." The Image of my friend's head, being ripped off by my own teeth, his body going still in my hands… I was still having trouble believing that I could have done that to him. "Do you know why?" The second part was like a whisper, but he heard. He looked at my husband, then back at me, with a sad expression on his face.

"When he woke up, after he came back from his first hunt… The first thing I heard him talk about were the Cullens. He said he knew there was something off about them. Kristen, the one that… took me, she said the Cullens had attacked her, and held her hostage, but were chased off after she was bit. Or something like that. They had me locked in a closest most of the time, but they'd take me with them when they… hunted. She said that you guys were holding humans with black mail, and changing them, forcing them into your coven. He came because… Well, I heard him say the name 'Edward' a lot, and, how he had to save you, Bella. I mean, Mrs. Cullen. Sorry." He was looking right at me, and I guessed Renesmee had told him a lot about us.

I smiled at his shyness, " Don't worry Stark, you can just call me Bella." It was sweet how he was trying to be so respectful now, but it made me feel kind of… Old. He did seem very mature for such a young person, and he reminded me a lot of Renesmee in that way. I liked him. "Go on," I urged. He didn't sound like he was done.

"He didn't seem to be… thinking very straight. Kristen told him that help would come, and that they needed his strength to rid the world of the Cullens. He was eager to help." That explained his reaction to seeing Edward, and the surprise on his face when I attacked him. I wish I had had time to explain, but I'm sure if I had hesitated any longer, my husband would have been ripped to shreds. I sat down.

"Bella, you didn't have a choice. Any of us would have done the same. You saved our family tonight, please don't forget that." The voice was Jasper's, but it was Edward's arms that wrapped around me. I nodded to them, but it was easier said than done. They hadn't just killed a friend. Maybe we could have saved him after the others were dealt with, maybe Jasper and Emmett could have held him down while we explained. But we had burnt the pieces, everything had happened so fast. There was no going back.

"Hey kid, you hungry?" Jacob asked, breaking the silence in the room. For some reason, he didn't sound very happy.

"Dude, I don't know what your people are into, but I don't drink blood."

"I don't either!" Jacob shouted, Renesmee started to laugh, but sounded really tired. I picked her up, and she didn't protest, just rested her head on my shoulder.

"They keep a fridge of food here. I'm going to have a sandwich, but if you'd rather stand here like a statue, that's your choice." Jacob mussed up Renesmee's hair as he walked by, and she belatedly tried to smack his hand away, and he went into the kitchen. I heard the fridge door open, and two seconds later Stark's stomach rumbled.

"Go ahead," Edward told him, and he dashed out of the room. I carried Renesmee up to her room, Edward on my heels the whole time. She was asleep before she was in her bed. There was a loud, crashing sound that came from downstairs, but when I looked at Edward questionably, he just smiled and shook his head. We both just sat there in silence, on either side of her bed, watching her. I'm not sure how much time passed before he spoke. "I'm sorry, Bella."

He caught me completely surprised. "What?"

"I couldn't protect you, either of you. I was useless."

I was over on the other side of the bed in no time at all, holding his face in my hands. "Edward, how can you even think that way? This was not your fault. If it's anyone's, it was _mine_." I was the one that the Volturi saw as a threat. _The Volturi_… "Everyone was caught by surprise. There are some things in life that just can't be prepared for… and we'll accomplish nothing by worrying about what we could have done, especially when we know there was nothing we could have changed." The words were as much for him as they were for me. There was nothing now that could be changed.

"You know... Seeing everything you did, through everyone's minds… They see you as a hero. Jasper was right, if it wasn't for you, our family wouldn't have survived tonight. The Volturi still have strength in numbers, but with losing Alec and Jane, they lost their greatest strength. This will change our world."

With Edward's words, something clicked together in my mind. "But is that really for the best? I know, many know, that the Volturi's power was corrupt, but the threat of them is what kept all vampires in check, right? What will happen now?" I had agreed with one thing, in part, with what Aro had said in the clearing. The humans have come so far in science, that some of their weapons did pose a threat to us. It was more important now than ever that our world was kept secret from them. I had single handedly destroyed the power that had been enforcing that secret. What would happen now, or in the future, because of that?

"Love, no other vampires have the powers that our family does. It might be a very long time before our world knows about the fact that Jane and Alec are gone. I don't think they're going to start rioting in the streets. Besides, our secret is just as important to their safety as ours."

I took his hand, and led him out of the room, not wanting to wake up Renesmee. "But Aro will! He'll notice when his two favourite treasures don't return, and I'm sure he will send a party straight here to Forks! He'll know it was me! No one else would have been able to touch either of them. And when that party comes, how many humans will die because of it? The town won't be safe. I can't cover the entire town with this shield." My mind was spinning, trying to sort through all the possibilities of what may happen. I only saw one thing that I could do. "I think we should go to Volterra, Explain to them ourselves what had happened."

Edward sighed. "We won't decide on anything today, you've been through too much, you need time to process things." I was about to argue, but then I saw the concern in his eyes. He was just worried about me, and he hadn't refused my idea outright. Maybe he also saw that it was the responsible thing to do. He was right though, after a day like today, we needed to take some time. Rushing off to Italy without a plan could be dangerous.

We walked back downstairs, and what I saw caught me by surprise. Rose was sitting on the couch, and Stark was sleeping, his head in her lap, and she was combing her fingers through his hair. I stopped, and looked at Edward questionably. He smiled, and draped an arm over my shoulders. "She looks a lot like his mother did," he said, "Renesmee showed him how she saw our family, and he believed her when she said that he was safe here. When Kristen found him… She killed his parents. He's alone."

I had guessed as much from his expression earlier, but I had assumed that he would have left with Jake. I told Edward as much, but Rose was the one that answered me, quietly. "He doesn't like Jacob, he went all 'Alpha wolf' on him. He responded by smashing a pot on his head, serves him right. Such a sweet boy…" She said. I fought the urge to laugh at that. Only Rosalie would call a boy sweet for breaking things over Jacob's head. Looking at them though… they looked right together. With his complexion, and hair colour, they did almost look related. And Rosalie had that look in her eyes, like she wanted to protect this child. I could see Stark being around for a while.

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading this far! And a special thank you to everyone that's left a review! They make my day :) Sorry if my updates slow down, but I got some other things on the go right now... The story isn't close to over though. Take care guys!  
- Kitty **


	17. Chapter 17

I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter 17  
Renesmee

I woke up in my room at the main house, to my favourite music: The rain. It was still coming down hard, just like last night.

Everything had happened so quickly, it didn't make any of it feel real. Except for the pain, I shuddered at the memory. I walked over to the window and put my forehead against the cool glass. It felt nice. A few minutes passed, and I realised it was really quiet. Too quiet. My hearing wasn't as good as my parents', but usually I could hear someone walking around the house, or some faint music or something… But no, no sound. I looked over at my clock, it read three in the afternoon. My heart rate sped up even faster. Did the rest of the Volturi come back to finish us off? Did they find a way to get through Momma's new shield? I dashed over to my door, ripping it open. My Mom was standing there with her hand raised, as if she were about to knock. I threw myself into her arms.

"Oh Renesmee, I'm so sorry we scared you. You were up so late, I just wanted you to rest. Everyone is safe, don't worry." I leaned away from her. I hadn't even noticed my hands were on her neck, I hadn't meant to say anything. I pulled my hands away slowly; It bothered me that I had no control over the thoughts that traveled through my hands. I bet someone could even watch my dreams if they wanted to. "Looks like we'll need to get you a new door knob," she said, interrupting my thoughts. I followed her gaze, and saw what she was talking about. The knob was dented, and half hanging off of the door now. My mom smiled, and kissed my cheek before putting me down.

I heard a crash downstairs, followed by a voice shouting. "You can't tell me what to do! Why are you even here? Who do you think you are?!" Followed by glass breaking. The voice was familiar; Stark. A smile took over my face, and I went to dash out of my door, but my mom stopped me.

"Nope, you're having a bath and getting dressed first. You're still covered in mud." I looked down at myself, and she was right. Even my bed was covered in dirt; it stood out against the bright white of the sheets and pillows. I sighed loudly, but didn't argue.

When I finally got to go downstairs, the house was silent again. Of course, there was no sign of any broken glass, my vampire family were OCD cleaners. I ran a loop around the main floor, and ended up at my mom's side again. "Where is everyone?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Your Aunt Rosalie, Stark, and Jacob are in the game room. We sent the rest of the family out hunting. They were all kind of on edge still after last night." That explained why I couldn't hear them. The basement was sound proofed, but apparently my mom could still hear them. Sure enough, as soon as I opened the door, the blaring sounds of gunshots filled the house. I dashed down the stairs. Aunt Rose and Stark were playing Battlefield, and Jake was sitting in the corner, shooting them dirty looks, but his face brightened when he saw me. I waved and hopped up on the couch beside Stark.

"Wow, the Princess is finally awake." Stark said teasingly. Jacob jumped to his feet.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jacob shouted at him. I was kind of surprised by his reaction, it's not like he had said anything mean, really, Stark reminded me of my Uncle Emmett.

"Calm down dog-boy. Jeeze. What is your issue, anyway?" Stark was obviously annoyed by him, and I guessed from his reaction that Jake was also the person he was arguing with this morning. I went over to Jake, and put my hands on his face.

_Stark's been through a lot. I don't know why you're so angry at him, but could you please ease up on him?_ I asked. He glared at him again_. Please? For me?_ He closed his eyes tightly, but nodded. I hugged him, and went back over to the couch. Stark was giving us a weird look, but went right back to staring at the TV screen once I was back beside him. My mom and Jake came and sat on the couch too. Stark wrinkled his nose. Aunt Rose gave me her controller to take over for her, and her and my mom started whispering to each other.

Stark took no mercy on me. His hands were bigger, and he could use the controllers properly. He took advantage of that. I didn't win a single game, but it made me smile. I liked that he didn't let me win like everyone else seemed to do. Well, everyone but my mom. She wasn't into video games. Starks stomach made a gurgling sound, and an uncomfortable look took over his face. He was trying to not think about it. My mom and Rose didn't seem to notice.

I reached over to touch Stark's face, and he flinched away from me. Ouch. "I'm sorry," I told him, he was looking at me with shock. "I'm bored, has anyone showed you around the house yet?" He shook his head. I jumped down from the couch, and held out my hand to him, "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour." After a minute of staring at me, he took my hand and smiled.

I showed him around the main floor, then upstairs, everyone's bedroom, the offices, then led him down to the kitchen. Jake followed us around the whole time, but Mom and Rose stayed in the living room. I opened up the fridge, and started putting everything on the counter. After five minutes, the fridge was empty, and I stood there staring at everything, not knowing what to do.

"Uhm… What are you doing?"

"You're hungry. I was going to make you something, but... I don't know how to cook. What do you eat?"

He laughed, then looked at me strangely. "What do you eat?"

"Mostly deer and elk. I almost had a mountain lion once, but my Dad wouldn't let me hunt it."

"You eat raw animals?" He asked, shocked.

My turn to laugh, "No, silly, I just drink their blood."

He picked up an apple, and bit into it. "What do you do with the rest of the animal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you just drink its blood, and leave their bodies in the forest?" I nodded. "Animals are living beings too. It seems kind of disrespectful to just kill them and leave them there. Whenever we killed an animal, we would use every bit of them, from the fur to the bones."

I had never thought of it like that, but my Mom joined into the conversation. "There are a lot of coyotes and wolves in the area that we hunt in, the meat we leave behind is eaten by the smaller carnivores." She took out a frying pan, and started cooking something while putting my mess away. Stark was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Who did you mean by we?" I asked him. He looked down at his hands, and it took him a minute before answering.

"My mom and I." I climbed into the chair beside his, and put my hand on his neck, slowly. He didn't flinch away this time. _I'm sorry about your mom_, I said. He put his hand on mine, and nodded. Jake stormed outside. I didn't know what his issue was, but he was being rude, so I just ignored him. My mom watched him leave, then went back to her cooking.

He didn't look up until my Mom put a big plate of food in front of him. He started shoveling it into his mouth immediately. "What is that?"

"Spaghetti," My mom said. "I always preferred using sausages instead of meatballs." She said in a weird voice.

"It's delicious Mrs. Cullen" He said with a mouth full of food.

"Please Stark, just call me Bella." It looked really gross, but he seemed to really like it.

"Stop watching me eat, it's weird." I felt my face go red as I looked away. My mom put a smaller plate in front of me. I looked at her quizzically.

"Do you want to try it?" She asked me. I remember Carlisle had tried a few times to get me to drink baby formula, but that stuff was disgusting. I awkwardly picked up the fork, and stabbed one of the chunks of sausage, staring at it for a minute before I slowly put it in my mouth. It wasn't horrible, but not nearly as good as blood. I put my fork down, and slid the plate away a little bit. Stark grabbed it, and dumped it onto his own plate. When he finished, he rested a hand on his stomach and sighed.

"Wow. For a vampire Bella, you sure can cook." My mom smiled at him gently.

"Thank you. I've only been a Vampire for about six months, and before that I cooked a lot for my father and I." I hadn't known that, but I could easily picture my mom as a human, cooking for Grandpa Charlie. I smiled. Stark was in a more cheerful mood now, and I took his hand and led him over to the living room, turning on the TV. He sat on the couch beside me.

"You were really good at that video game." I told him, "Do you play a lot of them?"

"No, that was my first time. Where my Mom and I lived, we didn't have electricity."

"Where did you guys live?"

"In a small cabin in the woods. My mom and I grew vegetables and hunted. We would sell the vegetables in the warm months, and meat and pelts in the colder months."

"My parents and I live in a cabin too" I told him.

"I thought you lived here?"

"No, but I have a bedroom here for when my parents stay over. How old are you?"

It took a minute before he answered, like he was counting. "Seven."

"Wow, you look a lot older than that." I said bluntly.

He laughed, "Yeah, I know. My Mom told me shifters grow quickly when they're young. Like it's some sort of self-preservation thing so that we aren't as at risk in the wild when we're young." I thought of what he said, and I wondered if it was the same case for hybrids like me. Vampires weren't born, they were made powerful. Maybe my growth rate was also some sort of self-preservation thing. He interrupted my thoughts with his question, "How old are you?"

"Almost six months."

"Wow, you look a lot older than that," he said, mimicking my reply from earlier. We both laughed. Mom and Rosalie came into the living room, but sat on the other side of the room in some armchairs. They weren't hovering like Jake was; I think they were just bored. They would have heard our conversation from the kitchen anyways.

"Why don't you smell like Jake?"

"Maybe because I like to bathe?" He said sarcastically. Aunt Rose threw her head back laughing. "Does he only change into a dog?"

"A wolf, but yes. It's the same for everyone else in the packs, and they all kind of smell the same. Are you saying that you can change into different things?"

"He's in a pack?" He asked me, not answering my question. I nodded.

"He's the Alpha of his pack," I added proudly.

"Well, maybe that explains his attitude problem."

"What do you mean? What attitude?" Jake was always nothing but caring around me. He liked to tease Aunt Rose, but that was the closest I've ever seen him to having an attitude.

"Ever since the first time he spoke to me, he's been trying to tell me what to do. He must be used to having everyone taking his orders." Jake had no right to be bossing Stark around, so I could see why he was annoyed. "I don't know why we smell different though, I've never met another shifter besides my Mom. I can only guess that it's because they can't change into anything besides dogs." I didn't bother to correct him again. I liked talking to him, he's the closest person to my age that I've ever spoken to.

"So, are you going to stay with us?" Everyone in the room looked at me at the same time, Stark was the only one to look away, he stared at his hands. It was a few minutes before he spoke.

"No, I should go. I'm thankful to your family for saving me, I couldn't ask for anything more than that." Aunt Rose was on her knees in front of him in a second. I've never seen this expression on her face before.

"Stark, we want you to stay with us. You don't owe us anything. We want you to be a part of this family, but if you don't want to, we won't force you to stay." His eyes started to water, and he looked up at Aunt Rose. She put her hands on his shoulders. "I know that we are very different from each other, but if you decide to stay, this entire family will protect you, no matter what." He shook his head, and tears slid down his cheeks.

It hurt to see him so upset. We haven't known each other long at all, but I already knew I didn't want him to leave. I wanted this friendship so badly. Thinking of him leaving by himself, my eyes started to water also. I put my hand on his cheek, and showed him how much I wanted him to stay. _Please, don't leave._

He looked at me, and a small smiled played on his lips. He nodded. Aunt Rose crushed him with a hug.

"C-Can't b-b-breathe," He choked out, but he was smiling and hugging back.

The rest of the family came home not long after. My dad was the first one through the door, and had my mom in his arms in no time at all. I think it caused him actual pain to be away from her. He turned to look at me, and smiled as he came over and picked me up. "Not just her, both of you," he whispered into my ear. The whole family took their turns to welcome Stark into the family, introducing themselves properly. Last night hadn't been the best time for introductions. It made the evening pass by quickly. I must have been tired, because it felt like I had just blinked, and when I opened my eyes the wind was blowing my hair behind me as my mother ran with me in her arms. It was only a minute before we stopped in front of the cabin. I touched her neck, too tired to actually speak, but it was my father that answered me. "Yes, you'll Stark again tomorrow. You really helped him today, you know. You made him feel like he was already a part of the family; he had really needed a friend."

I hadn't noticed until he was already here, but I think I had needed one too.

**Hey Guys! Sorry it took so long for an update, but I've been super busy with the best job in the world for the past week: Babysitting my brother's new two-month-old kitten. Also a few other things, but none were nearly as exciting as that. It won't be as long for the next update. Thanks for reading, and take care!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer**

Chapter 18  
Bella

"How was your hunting trip?" I asked my husband, as I tucked our daughter into bed. We hadn't had much time to talk since he had gotten back, everyone had been eager to have proper introductions to our new little friend.

"It was fun, and it did seem to help everyone calm down a bit. It would have been much more enjoyable if you were there though." He had walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. I turned around to face him, and smiled as I pushed him out of Renesme's room. "Stark seems to be dealing well…" He didn't have to finish his sentence; I knew what he was talking about. He seemed as well as we could hope for a seven-year-old boy who had been kidnapped and held hostage by vampires who killed his mother.

"Is he really?" I had tried to give him as much space as possible, to make him feel welcome and comfortable around us. He had not slept well at all, and it was easy to tell that his mind was trapped in a dark place. Rose had made a good call with the video games to distract him, and Renesmee seemed to change his mood quickly. I'm glad that she was able to talk to another child, he was older, but still the closest person to her age that she's really been able to converse with.

"Yes, surprisingly so. I think the best thing for him right now would be to just keep him busy, entertained, and give him time and space to grieve. He really enjoys talking to Renesmee, he finds it interesting talking to a "three-year-old who sounds like an adult" as he put it in his mind." He smiled at something he was thinking about. He fell back onto the small loveseat in the living room, pulling me down with him. He kept one arm draped over my back, the other playing with a piece of my hair. I guessed it must look crazy after our quick run in the rain. I made a mental note to ask Rose how hers always stays so perfect after she runs.

"I think Jacob is jealous of him." The memory of him storming out played again through my mind. I tried to open my mind up and show him, but after finding this new layer in my shield, it feels so much heavier. I can't seem to lift it as well, but he got the idea through the flickers.

I was curious when he smiled. "Knowing our daughter, he's just digging himself into a hole acting like that. She cares a lot for Jacob, but she won't put up with that over-protective attitude for long." I nodded, those were my thoughts exactly. I loved Jacob, but that doesn't mean I can't be annoyed with him. I didn't like how his attitude sometimes seemed so possessive of Renesmee. It had been getting better since our confrontation of the Volturi too, he wasn't at the house every second of the day anymore. Edward gently slid his fingertips down the side of my face. "What are you thinking about?"

"The Volturi." I felt his body tense beneath mine. I didn't want to push him, but it was something I felt we needed to take care of sooner rather than later. I was making too many enemies, and I didn't want them lurking around Forks. "Can we please talk about this?" I whispered to him. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, before he sighed and relaxed slightly.

"I have been thinking about it. Ever since you mentioned it, the thought has taken over my mind. And I agree with you, they will come soon, and it would be safer for us to go to them first." I wasn't really shocked, I knew he would see reason on this. I was relieved that we were on the same page… So far.

"I want to take Renesmee with us." He didn't jump up off of the couch, or ask me if I was insane. He just looked into my eyes, and nodded.

"I don't want her away from both of us either. She's safest with us." Now I was surprised, and so was he when my lips crushed down upon his. I felt guilty for thinking the worst of what his reaction would be, and thankful at the same time that he seemed to have more confidence in me. I didn't need to take down my shield to show him that.

Renesmee woke up at a proper hour this morning, and I was happy that her sleeping schedule was back to normal. The rain had finally stopped, it wasn't sunny or anything like that, but it wasn't wet. After Renesmee got dressed, we went out hunting. Edward came with us for company, he wasn't hungry. The ground was still really muddy, so we went back to the cabin so my daughter and I could change before we went over to the main house. Jacob was waiting outside our door in human form when we got back.

"Good morning Jake!" My daughter shouted, jumping up to hug him. He spun her around in a circle while holding her.

"Good morning kiddo! How was breakfast?"

"Messy" She mumbled, flicking bits of mud off her arm. Jake smiled and put her down as we went inside. I jumped in the shower, then helped Renesmee with her bath. I decided to take a break from my jeans and t-shirt, and opted for a black skirt and a dark blue blouse. I braided my hair into a thick rope over my shoulder, then went to check on my daughter.

There seemed to have been a tornado in her closet. There was a mountain of clothes in the middle that just seemed to be growing as she searched through her clothes. I laughed, and started dashing around the closet, putting everything back in its place. "What are you looking for sweetie?" I asked her as I cleaned. She moaned, and held up her hands. I stopped and leaned my face into her palms. She showed me a picture of the shirt she was looking for, a light brown blouse she had worn last week. I had just washed it the other day, and I grabbed it from my room and was back with it in three seconds. She smiled.

"Thanks Momma."

"No problem. Just make sure you finished tidying up your mess before we leave," I told her. I dashed into the living room and was on Edward's lap before Jake even noticed I had come in. He jumped.

"Jeeze Bells! Don't do that, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I just laughed. It was nice seeing him in a better mood today, hopefully it would last. When Renesmee came out of her room, the four of us ran over together.

Emmett, Jasper and Stark were playing with a basketball on the front drive way when we got over. Emmett smiled when he saw me. "Heads up Bella!" He threw the ball at me like it was a missile. It was too easy to catch it, like it was moving in slow motion towards me, but I flinched when it made a loud popping sound. Controlling my strength, not as easy.

"Sorry," I mumbled. Jasper patted me on the shoulder and took the deflated ball from my hands. Emmett was on the ground laughing, and Stark was staring at me wide-eyed. Alice came out a few seconds later with a new ball, whipping it at Emmett. She looked uncomfortable, and I could guess why.

"Carlisle will be home in an hour," She told Edward and I. We would wait until the entire family was here to talk.

"Hey Tiny, how's your shot?" Stark asked, not waiting a second before tossing Renesmee the ball. She caught it effortlessly, and barely looked at she threw it through the hoop above the garage.

"Pretty good, I guess," She said, then laughed at his expression. I understood that look, I was also impressed. I shouldn't have been, she had almost-vampire like reflexes. She ran over and picked up the ball. "Want to play Jake?"

"That's okay Ness, I need to get back to my patrol. I was just taking a break."

"Actually Jacob, I was hoping you could stay," I told him. "Edward and I have something we need to talk to the family about, and we'd like if you were there too. Carlisle won't be home for another hour though; he was working the night shift."

"Oh, uhm… Okay. I'm just going to let the pack know that I'll be late, I'll be right back." He ran into the woods to phase.

"Yay! So Jacob's in too! Will you play Mom?" I smiled at her.

"No sweetie, I'll pass this time." I'm sure that it wouldn't have been anything like the last time I played in gym class, but I still had this irrational fear of falling on my face. Emmett would never let me forget that. "But maybe you could stay out here and referee for them?" I whispered to Edward. I was worried about Jake and Stark, Edward must have understood, he winked at me. I gave him a kiss and went inside. I heard some banging noises coming from the basement, and that's where I found Esme, Rose and Alice. It looked like they were splitting the basement in half. I was about to ask what they were doing, but Alice didn't wait for me to say it.

"He wouldn't take Emmett and Rosalie's room, so we're building one for him." She said. I swear I saw her give me a dirty look, even though it only lasted a fraction of a second. I didn't see why she was so upset over our trip, it couldn't be avoided. I thought of asking her, knowing that was all I needed to do.

"It's not that, I do understand that. It's just, I'm so proud of you for starting to use the rest of your closet, but you could have at least put on some shoes to complete your outfit." She sighed dramatically, and I looked down at my muddy feet before we both started laughing. I don't think I'll ever be up to her standard of dressing.

"If you two are done with your cryptic conversation, you can start tearing up that side of the floor."

"Sure thing," We both said to Rose at the same time, and set to ripping out the carpet and layers of foam underneath. We already had the frames set up for the new walls by the time Carlisle pulled into the garage; we heard the door open and close. We all went up to the dining room and took our usual chairs. Renesmee came in, cheeks flushed, and jumped up into my lap, immediately showing me the play-by-plays of their game. She didn't seem to mind losing to Stark, and that made me smile. I hated when people let me win also. Stark and Jake looked kind of out of place, but Rose had pulled up a chair for him between her and Emmett, and I had pulled up an extra chair beside me for Jake. Renesmee slid over to his lap and started talking to him in her special way, he was smiling. When everyone was in their chairs, I looked to Edward to start. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the room with a weird expression on his face, then motioned for me to talk. Hmm, okay. I stood up, and all eyes were on me.

"The Volturi will become suspicious within a few more days when Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri don't return. They know they were in Seattle, and will assume correctly that something happened between them and our family." This was my fault, once again I was endangering my family. "We don't want them to come anywhere near Forks, so Edward and I are going to go to them and explain what happened. Our flight leaves tonight at ten."

It was only seconds before Renesmee was in my arms again. She had her palms to my face, and her mind was utter chaos_. No Momma! You and Daddy can't go! Please don't leave me! _

"We won't be leaving you, Renesmee. We want to take you with us." Edward told her, stroking a tear off of her cheek. She was in shock. She still had her hand on my face, so I could tell that she wasn't afraid of going, she trusted us to protect her completely, she was only afraid of being separated from us both.

No one argued with us, we were sitting in silence for a few minutes, and I could tell everyone was trying to work through all of the options we had before agreeing. No one could think of a better way. With my shield, we didn't need any more protection. And we didn't want the entire family to come, not with Stark. We wanted to keep him a secret from the Volturi, and the rest of the family was safest if they were together. Jacob was the only one who didn't see reason.

"I don't see why you need to take Renesmee there, she's safest here with the packs to protect her."

"No," I told him coldly, "She's safest with me." I sighed, I knew he would be the hardest to convince, I needed to keep my cool. Him saying that he could protect her better than I though really pushed the wrong button. "Jake, I know you're strong, incredibly strong, but we will not leave Renesmee without both of her parents. She will be safest under my shield." I went to put a hand on his giant shoulder, but he flinched away from my touch. Ouch.

"Then take me with you!"

"They can't Jacob, the Volturi will see it as a threat," Alice told him. I know she couldn't see what would happen if he was there, Alice has just seen enough of them to know what their reaction would be. Jake threw his chair back when he stood up, it cracked when it hit the floor. I flinched, and Edward and Jasper stood up quickly. I knew he wouldn't hurt us, but his anger at me still hurt. Why couldn't he see that this was the best path for all of us?"

"So I have no say. You're just going to take her away from me? Bella, how can you do this to me?" I flinched again, I knew that it was hard for him to go even a single day without seeing her.

"Jake, it's not like that, please-" He kicked his chair into the wall, and Edward growled. I held Renesmee, who was staring wide-eyed at him, closer to my chest, and put a restraining hand on Edward as Jake ran out the back door. I'm pretty sure he phased before he even touched the grass. I felt a tear drop onto my arm. "Shhh… Renesmee, he'll be fine, he just needs to calm down and think about it. The pack will help him." She nodded, and wiped at her eyes, but didn't say anything. It was a minute before everyone was seated again.

"You're right, this is probably the best course of action, even though I don't like splitting up the family." Carlisle said. It calmed me to hear those words from him. "How long will you be gone?"

"Five days." Edward told him. "If everything goes as planned, we should be done with them by the end of the second day. I'll be calling with regular updates, but I want to take Bella and Renesmee to Rome for a day since we'll already be there." It felt weird talking about a vacation and visiting the Volturi at the same time, but I had agreed that I would like to see the area also. It would be cloudy for a few days there, so we kind of lucked out with the timing, and wanted to take advantage of it.

Everything was settled, and I went upstairs with Alice to get some suitcases. I even agreed to let her pack for me, but I was there this time while she packed, and she showed me what to wear with what. I didn't want the big surprise like I had had opening my suitcase on my honeymoon. It seemed to help her get over my wardrobe mistake this morning, so I was glad. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the main house, where Renesmee spent the time explaining all of the different gaming consoles in the basement to Stark.

Emmett was driving us to the Airport, and Stark came along with us for the drive. He wanted to see the area. He sat in the back with Renesmee and I, and they spent the whole driving talking, her in her special way, and him in whispers. I was happy to see them getting along so well. When we got to the airport, she even hugged him, and he hesitantly hugged her back. "Bye Stark! Bye Uncle Emmett!" She shouted as she waved, while I carried her out of the car. Her excitement of her first plane ride was preventing her from falling asleep, so she was still very alert when we walked into the Airport, and she felt me stiffen. Edward noticed through her thoughts.

I grabbed his arm and ducked around a corner. Renee was sitting on a bench with Phil, she must have been heading back to Phoenix. All of my guilt and sadness crashed back down on me, but holding Renesmee made it a bit easier. "What do we do?" I whispered to Edward.

He pulled out a baseball cap from his suitcase and put it on. It didn't look right on him, but it covered most of his unique hair colour. "You can wait here with Renesmee; I'll go check our bags." He held me for a long minute before he walked around the corner with our suitcases. I took Renesmee and sat down on the bench, I could tell that I was standing too still. I started breathing again, timing my breaths to hers. She tried to project feelings of happiness into my mind. It helped, but Renee's puffy cheeks and red eyes were burned into the front of my mind.

Edward was back twenty minutes later. "It looks like she's caught her flight" he told me quietly. I nodded, and let him lead me over to our line up for boarding. His fingers entwined with mine, I felt like he was slowly pulling the sadness out of me. By the time we were in our seats, Renesmee was bouncing around with excitement, making it hard to buckle her in. Edward was sitting across from us, watching with a smile on his face. Renesmee's face was glued to the window as we took off.

"It's really loud!" she almost shouted, covering her ears. This was my first time being on a plane as a vampire, and I was tempted to cover my ears too. I leaned in to whisper to her.

"Humans don't have as sensitive hearing as we do; it's not nearly as loud to them." I winked at her, and she dropped her hands. The noise wasn't as bad once we were in the air. After about half an hour, she had worn herself out and fell asleep. It was very late, and everyone else started turning their lights off. A steward came down the aisle, offering blankets and pillows. Once he came to our seats though, he just kind of stopped and was staring at me. A minute passed, and I started to get uncomfortable. I fidgeted, and Edward coughed loudly.

"Just one blanket and pillow for _our daughter_, please." Edward said coldly. I couldn't help but smile when the man jumped, and handed me the blanket and pillow while looking at Edward. He left quickly. I tucked in Renesmee, then moved to sit in the empty chair next to Edward. He pushed up the armrests separating our seats, and wrapped his arm around me. We spent the night looking down at the beautiful quilted landscape beneath us, and I was happy that I felt no fear in what we were about to do.


	19. Chapter 19

I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter 19  
Bella

Renesmee woke up when the pilot announced that we'd be landing soon. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't bouncing around anymore, which made it easier to do up her seatbelt this time. I looked over to Edward, who nodded before taking the seat next to her. I buckled myself into his. He was whispering quietly to her, but I could easily hear him.

"They're not going to be waiting for us outside of the plane Renesmee, they don't know that we're coming. We'll be renting a car to drive the rest of the way there, so we won't see them until the afternoon." She nodded, and seemed to relax at his words, but kept a firm grip on his hand. Once the rest of the passengers seemed to have exited, I picked her up and carried her out; I didn't want her walking around in this place that I didn't know. I think that Edward felt the same way about me; he kept a hand around my waist as we walked.

It was much more relaxing driving the speed limit, and not being in a stolen car as we drove through the scenic landscape. The sun was out in full force at the moment, but we knew a storm would be coming in in a few hours, for now we needed to keep the tinted windows shut. Renesmee was pretty quiet for most of the drive. The closer we got, the more nervous I got. What if my shield didn't work like I wanted it to? I haven't actually used it against someone since the attack, and it wasn't like I could really practice here in the car, with my luck I would throw someone's car off of the roadway. I saw a small dirt road going off in the distance, and I asked Edward to take it. Once we were out of sight from the road, I asked him to stop, and got out of the car.

"Bella, what's going on?" he asked me curiously.

"Uhm, this might seem like a weird request, but I was hoping you could throw a rock at me." He just stared at me like I was speaking a foreign language, and I continued to explain. "I haven't actually used my shield to push someone away since Jane, this was the only way I could think of to test it. Please Edward, it will make me feel better." It was a moment before he sighed, and bent down to pick up a pebble. "I said a rock, not a piece of sand. It's not like it can hurt me." He shook his head and picked up a rock about the size of his hand.

"Just nod when you're ready, love."

I pushed lightly on my mind, looking for that solid layer. As soon as I thought about it, I could feel it coating my entire body. I felt it obey when I pushed it out a meter away in all directions. I nodded. He threw it underhand toward me, and a smile broke out on my face when it bounced off. My favourite crooked smile took over Edward's face. "Okay, are we ready to get back on the road now?" I nodded, and we both climbed back into the car.

It was early afternoon when we finally got to Volterra, but the skies were black and ominous. We parked the car, and went the rest of the way by foot. Renesmee was in my arms, and Edward was glued to my side as we walked through the streets. They weren't very crowded and I was thankful, but we still had to work to keep at a human pace. As we had expected, we didn't make it to the entrance before we were noticed.

A tall, trim woman appeared in front of us. She was a few inches taller than Edward, with shoulder-length curly black hair, and a very narrow face. She was wearing a smokey grey cloak over her black pants suit. All of the dark colors made her look extremely pale. "What is your business here?" she asked in a cold, feminine voice.

"We have come seeking an audience with your masters" Edward told her. She was staring at Renesmee as she nodded, and led the way inside.

The walk felt very different from the one in my muddy human memories. After the easy drop down the drain, which Renesmee had actually enjoyed, my surroundings were very impressive. This must have been a different entrance. Every inch of the stone walls were engraved with beautiful images. They varied as we walked past them, changing in between beautiful landscapes and some that seemed to depict ancient stories of the vampires. There was no way this could have been done by a human, everything looked so perfect, real and alive. I wondered what vampire, or vampire_s_ were responsible for this work of art. I didn't see a spec of dirt or webs anywhere, nor any of the wet, uneven stone floors that I almost remembered stumbling over. No elevator. I could tell that to a human, it would be so dark that you wouldn't have been able to see two feet ahead of you. We entered the familiar reception like area, and there was once again a human sitting behind the high, polished mahogany counter, but definitely not the same one as last time. She had short, thick black hair and pale green eyes. She looked sick, she was so pale, and her make-up didn't do a good job of hiding the black shadows under her eyes. She shot up when the four of us came into the room.

"G-Good afternoon! How may I help you today?" She squeaked at us. The poor thing, I wondered how some human would end up working at a place like this. Then again, who was I to judge? I had spent plenty of time with vampires when I was a human. She didn't seem to have the same relationship with them here.

"Just sit down Rebecca," Our guide told her as we just walked by, I swear I could hear her rolling her eyes just by the tone of her voice. She opened up the right half of the low, heavy wooden door easily with one hand, and led us into the antechamber. This room was more familiar, with the wet stones and cool air. She led us past the great golden doors, and to the small door hidden behind the wood paneling. The Volturi were standing and talking in a group of maybe fifteen vampires in the indentation of the great room that I still believed to be a turret. Their beautiful carved wooden thrones we scattered behind them, flush with the curved walls. They barely noticed us come in, and I put my shield up close around my husband and daughter before they recognized our scents. Renesmee had been in my arms the entire walk, but now Edwards arm was back around my waist, holding us to his side.

When they did notice us, the room went still. A room full of statues. It was weird not seeing Jane, Alec, Felix and Demitri among their ranks. "These three have come seeking an audience, Master" our guide announced to them, slightly bowing her head.

"My, oh my. Edward, Isabella and Renesmee. This is indeed a surprise. What brings you three here, so far away from home?" Aro asked curiously. Caius was watching us with a dark look.

"I apologize, but our tidings are unpleasant," Edward began. "Our family was attacked two days ago, by six vampires."

"Oh, well that _is_ unfortunate," Caius remarked sarcastically. "Why have you rushed over to tell us?"

"We wanted to tell you ourselves, out of courtesy. We had no choice but to destroy the vampires responsible, for the safety of my family. We saw no other way. Among the six were Felix, Demitri, Jane and Alec. Along with a vampire named Kristen, and a new born named Michael Newton that she had abducted from our local area. He had been running loose in Seattle."

All of the vampires in the room crouched except for Aro and Markus. Aro was looking at us, the main feature on his face surprise, but I also saw some anger, and sadness. I couldn't say I was sorry for killing Jane, not truthfully, but after my own funeral only days ago, and letting go of so many people, I couldn't help a bit of guilt for causing him that pain. Marcus, as always, looked impassive. I wondered in the back of my mind why he stayed here, when it seemed like this life held no interest to him.

My eyes were mostly focused on Caius though, who looked like he was about to pounce. The room has spread out, and we were surrounded on all sides by vampires. Edward and I didn't move, though I was oddly tempted to fidget after a few minutes of utter silence. The only sounds in the room were Renesmee's breathing, and the fluttering, quick beats of her heart.

"And what was the loss to your coven?" Caius growled out.

"My family remains intact and whole" Edward told him gently.

Five vampires ran at us at the same time. I closed my eyes in concentration as I felt them all hit my shield. It almost felt like they had run into me, though my eyes were opened in time to see them all fly back away from us. The sounds of their solid bodies hitting the walls, and shouts of pain, were almost loud enough to cover Edward's snarl of anger. He held on to both of us tightly. I put a hand on his to reassure him. I was in full control, and was not afraid. Only angry at the thought of them wanting to hurt my daughter and husband.

"While Jane was torturing my daughter with her mind, I discovered a new aspect of my gift." I told the room, loudly and coldly. "Nothing can touch what I want to protect, with mental _or_ physical force." The vampires surrounding us backed away slightly, and I saw some of them exchanging looks of uncertainty, surprise, and confusion. I looked only at Aro as I spoke. "We do not wish to hurt anyone here. As my husband said, we only come here out of courtesy, but I will defend my family at all costs if you make me." I barely recognised my own voice, and was happy at noticing how powerful and confident I sounded. I saw that it had an effect on many other vampires in the room, who were regarding me with wide eyes.

"Yes, of course you must," Aro said quietly. "Please forgive my dear friends, but you must know how hard it is for us to hear of the deaths of so many dear ones in our coven. Maybe it would help us understand if you will just show me what exactly happened?" He held out his hand.

I didn't even look at Edward before replying. "I'm sorry Aro, but that will not be possible. Surely, under the circumstances, you will understand that it would just not be safe for me to let my family out from my shield."

"Yes, I do understand, but you must also know then that we have no proof that your story is true." I did understand.

"Jane organized this on her own terms, and tricked you into sending Alec, Felix and Demitri to assist her in her own agenda. We do not hold her actions against you or the Volturi, but unfortunately we have no way of proving this to you," Edward said.

"And besides your family, who knows of these events?" I was surprised to hear Markus speak; I didn't think he had actually been listening.

"No one. Our family agrees that the Volturi is a necessity to the safety of our life style. We didn't want to spread the word of you losing your offensive weapons, and compromise that. We don't plan to in the future either."

"Thank you for that courtesy, my young friends." Aro said, sounding genuinely grateful. "I do fear that this will cause many complications for our way of life." Aro held out both of his hands, and they were immediately taken by Marcus and Caius. An idea came to mind.

"Aro, if we have your word that our family is safe from the Volturi, I have something to offer."

This intrigued him. "Isabella, we find it difficult to deny your story. Jane was very... off put after our last meeting. It is an unfortunate loss, and we will not hold this against your family."

I looked to Edward, and tried to pull back the layer of mental shield that still clung to my own mind. _Is he telling the truth?_ I asked him.

"For the most part, he means it for himself, but there are others that do not like it." I nodded.

"If you are able to control the rest of your coven on that matter," I shot a look at everyone in the room, "Then I offer you my services when and if you are in need of them." Aro's eyebrows shot up. "Under the circumstances that the Volturi keep their distance from my family. I'm sure it would be easy enough to set up some sort of electronic way of communication."

"That is very generous of you, we would be grateful to accept your offer. We will contact you in the near future about setting up an easy form of communication. By mail." He added. It would not be safe for a member of the Volturi to be lurking around in our territory, and I think they knew that now.

"Thank you Aro. Once again, we are sorry for your loss. If it is okay with you though, we will take our leave now."

"Yes, yes, of course. Travel safely, young friends." He waved us away, and we turned around and exited the room. I didn't relax my shield until we were at our car, and Edward had assured me that we hadn't been followed. Renesmee thought it was really cool that my shield could even reflect the rain. When she had pointed that out, I had to work to keep it as close as possible to us, afraid that a human may notice the rain bouncing off of a big invisible orb that surrounded us. I sighed heavily when it was gone, and slumped down into the front seat.

Edward started the car, and we drove in silence until we were out of the limits of the city. When it was barely visible behind us, he pulled over. "Bella, you were amazing in there." Edward said breathlessly, and his lips crushed down upon mine. I held onto him for a few minutes, still not believing it was over. "Yes, Renesmee, no one is coming after us." He kissed her forehead. When she smiled, and looked up at me with that proud look, I finally felt the last bit of weight lift off of my shoulders. I smiled too, and the three of us just held each other for a few minutes, enjoying the moment. Before we hit the road again, Edward called Carlisle and gave him the details on what had happened.

It was a very pleasant drive, only four hours to Rome from Volterra. It was dark, but not raining for most of the way. With our enhanced sight, we were able to enjoy the scenic drive. Renesmee had fallen asleep by the time we got there, so we got a hotel for the night so she could have a proper nights rest. We spent the entire next day on foot, walking and seeing some of the most popular landmarks; the Colosseum, the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, and the Piazza della Repubblica. Renesmee and I were speechless most of the time, looking at these buildings that were so breathtakingly beautiful, and Edward enjoyed teaching both of us about their histories. We had the best tour guide in the city, that was for sure. Renesmee fell asleep as soon as she was back in her bed at the hotel. It was a clear sky tonight, and Edward put the luxurious love seat from our room out on our balcony. We sat there for the entire night, watching the stars and city lights wrapped in each other's arms.

"I really enjoyed today," I whispered to him at one point.

"So did I" he whispered into my hair. His fingertips were sliding gently up and down my arm.

"You know, this was our first family vacation, just the three of us." I said absentmindedly.

I felt his chest move with a small laugh. "You're right. And we'll have many, many more of them."

_I would like that very, very much_, I managed to think to him, showing him just how deeply these moments touched me. His mouth came down upon mine, and the rest of the world seemed to melt away.


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own the material or characters of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.**

Chapter 20

Renee

I could hear my cell phone going off, but couldn't find it anywhere. Bella was the only person who ever called me on it. I was still waiting to her reply on the e-mail I had sent this morning, and it was driving me crazy that she hadn't replied yet. My daughter, only 19 years old, was sick in a hospital in Switzerland. Only she would be able to find a new disease and catch it while on her honeymoon. Every day since she told me she was going to marry Edward, I've felt this invisible weight pushing down on my shoulders, telling me that some was not right. How could I listen to it though? She couldn't have found a more wonderful boy to marry, I don't think I have ever seen two people love each other so much.

"Aha!" I exclaimed, pulling my cell out from the couch cushions. "Bella! I'm glad you called, I was about to fly over there and to see what was going on, you haven't answered my e-mail yet."

"Sorry mom, I've been really tired today, haven't gotten to check it yet." Her voice was hoarse, she sounded even worse than the last time I talked to her, when I hadn't even recognised that it was her. When she coughed, a sharp pain shot through my chest. _My baby_.

"Oh honey, what's wrong? You don't sound very well, I thought you were getting better?"

"I just caught a bit of a bug, that's all." It didn't feel right, that weight was pushing down harder on me, telling me that something was wrong. I asked and asked to make sure she was okay, but stopped eventually because it sounded like I was wearing her out. I didn't want to stop talking to her, fearing that if I hung up I would never hear her voice again. We talked for hours and hours, until Phil came home with dinner. Even then I didn't want to let her go. I had to tell myself that I was being irrational, and convince myself to hang up the phone. "I love you mom, I miss you so much."

"I miss you too honey, but I'll be there as soon as you get on a flight back. You beat that bug fast, okay?" I felt a tear roll down the side of my face.

"Sure thing, Mom." She coughed again, and I gripped the phone tightly.

"Love you Bella" I choked out. I tried to put as much emotion as I could into those three words.

"I love you too mom," She whispered to me. I heard her hang up on her end, and I noticed that I was shaking as I flipped my cell closed, and put it into my pocket.

"Honey, are you going to eat dinner?" Phil was sticking his head around the corner from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'll be right there" I called to him. I took two long breaths to calm myself down, then pushed the crazy to the back of my mind. The Chinese food looked delicious.

I did miss her though. It has been almost seven months since her wedding, the last time that I had seen and held her. I looked at a picture of her and Edward on their day that was on the fridge, she just looks so beautiful, and healthy. I didn't want to picture her sick, so this was the image I had of her in my mind.

I didn't sleep well that night, waking up every hour. The only thing I could remember from my dreams were Bella's chocolate brown eyes. I woke up groggy, and dragged myself into the kitchen to make some coffee. After the first cup I felt almost human again, and took a second into the living room. Just as I sat down, I heard my phone ring in the bedroom and sprinted towards it. We really need to get a landline. The phone number was the same one that Bella had called from last night. "Bella! Are you feeling better this morning?"

"Sorry Renee, it's Carlisle," replied a handsome male voice through the phone. Esme and Carlisle were such amazing people, I adored working and spending time with them and helping them with the wedding plans, I can't wait to see them again. I'll visit as soon as they come back to the States with my daughter.

"Oh, hi Carlisle! It's been a while, how is Esme doing?"

"I'm sorry Renee, but I'm not calling with good news," His voice was filled with pain, and my stomach felt like it twisted. "Bella caught a bug yesterday."

"Yes, I was talking to her yesterday, she told me." It was just a little cold, just a cold. No no no…"Has it gotten worse? How is she?"

I heard a faint, tired sigh from him before he spoke. "The bug aggravated whatever it was that had been making her sick. Her entire immune system is shutting down, we've done everything we could think of, but nothing's working." His voice seemed to crack, and my breathing started to speed up. He can't say it.

"What are you saying Carlisle?" Tears were pouring down the sides of my face.

"I'm so sorry Renee, but we don't think she's going to make it through the afternoon."

My legs gave out immediately, and my knees hit the floor. Phil heard, and ran in to check on me. I was clutching my phone to my chest, and I couldn't seem to take in any oxygen because I was sobbing so hard. No, this can't be real. This was a dream. I need to wake up! WAKE UP!

Phil had his arms around me, holding me tightly against himself. Trying to hold me together. Eventually, I dropped the phone, and he picked it up while stroking my hair. Phil asked Carlisle what was going on, and dropped his head when he heard. It was a few minutes before he spoke to me. I was finally breathing again, although not well. "He would like to speak to you again, if you're able."

"Does she know?" I managed to croak out.

"We didn't tell her, but I think she's guessed." I should be there with her, holding her hand. Charlie. He's going to be going through the same thing, and he had just gotten to start spending time with her again.

"What about Charlie, have you called him yet?"

"No, the line was busy; you're the first I've told. She's weak, but she wants to talk to you. Can you do this?"

_No_, I can't say goodbye to my daughter, my baby… "I want to speak to her."

"Hi mom," Her voice was hoarse, and barely audible. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to stop the flood of tears.

"Bella, I love you so much." I had to cough to clear my throat. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" I couldn't completely stop my voice from catching. But I was trying to stay strong, for her.

"I'm not in any pain; I think they have me on pain killers. I'm just really tired." She coughed again, more loudly.

"Bella, baby, I'm so sorry I'm not there with you. I don't know what to do." I didn't, no plane in the world could get me there fast enough. There's so much that I still need to say to her.

"No mom, don't be sorry. I don't want you to see me like this. I'm so lucky to have had a mother like you, I wouldn't trade a moment of the time I had with you for anything in the world. I love you so, so much." She knew. My daughter knew she was out of time, dying within hours, and she was still trying to take care of me. My entire body, my soul, felt as though they were drowning. Drowning in pain.

"I love you too baby. I love you more than anything in the world." She didn't say anything, I didn't even hear her ragged breathing. "Are you still there Bella?"

"Yeah mom. Sorry. I'm just so tired right now. I think I just need to close my eyes for a few minutes." No, this can't be my last time talking to her, I can't let her leave. "Carlisle wants to talk to you again."

"Ok-kay," I forced out, sniffling. "I love you B-Bella,"

I could barely hear her whisper of a voice when she replied. "I love you too Mom. Please, take care of yourself." Phil took the phone again when it fell out of my hands. _Bella Bella Bella…_

Phil had me wrapped in a blanket on the couch. I just lied there, watching the steam rise off of the cup of tea he had left for me on the coffee table. I heard him answer my phone when it rang again a few hours later. I didn't need to talk to Carlisle, I knew what he had called to say. I was on that couch for a day and a half, getting up only to use the washroom. Phil took care of all the phone calls and preparations that had to be made before our flight to Forks. Except for one, I called Charlie the night she passed. He was very quiet and detached, still in shock, and told us to stay with him. Phil would bring me things to eat, but I wasn't hungry. Lots of people rang the doorbell on the second day, but I couldn't make myself get up to talk to them.

"Renee, we'll be leaving for the airport in a few hours. I'm not sure what you want me to pack for you." Phil told me in a gentle voice. Suddenly, I felt the need to do something, to be moving, I couldn't sit still with my thoughts anymore.

"I'll do it," I croaked out. My voice was hoarse from crying and disuse. When I stood up, the room spun around me and I fell. Thankfully, Phil was right next to me, and caught me before I hit the floor again. Why was I so dizzy?

"Honey, you need to eat something." I nodded absentmindedly, and he helped me walk to the bedroom. My suitcase was open on my bed. I mechanically started putting things into it, not really seeing them. Phil came in with a tray holding two bowls of vegetable soup, some saltine crackers, and two glasses of juice. He sat them on the floor, then helped me sit down next to it so I wouldn't fall. We ate in silence. I didn't feel better after eating, just nauseous. Phil finished before I did, and went into the bathroom and ran me a bath. The warm water felt nice, but the entire time I was sitting there, I thought about how easy it would be to just slip under the water, never coming back up. Maybe I would be with my daughter again. No, I would bury my daughter, I would not leave her alone again. I wasn't with her when she passed, this was the least I could do.

Phil put out a comfortable pair of pants and a t-shirt for me to wear on a chair in the washroom. When I came out, I didn't really feel any better, I didn't feel anything. I was numb, and that was easier to deal with than the pain. I packed my purse, and walked to the front door that Phil was holding open for me. I stopped halfway through the living room, and picked up the stack of family photo albums that were on one of the shelves, sliding them gently into my giant purse. Phil walked me to the car, and we were on our way to the airport.

I don't remember the drive there, or the flight. It was all a blur, until we got to Forks. There was so much green, _too_ much green. _If I hadn't let her move back here, away from me, this wouldn't have happened_, I thought to myself. My heart broke again when I saw Charlie. His face was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Charlie was never the type to cry, but I could tell he was in pieces. He held me on his front lawn while I cried into his shoulder, I don't know how long we stood there. She was our daughter, Charlie's and mine. No one else could understand this pain. Phil brought our bags inside, and when I finally released my ex-husband, Phil was shaking his hand. I didn't see any of the dark looks that Charlie had had for Phil at the wedding, and it didn't take me long to figure out why. A woman came outside and placed a hand on his arm gently.

She had beautiful, dark skin, and silky black hair that was cut at the level of her chin. She was taller than me, only an inch shorter than Charlie, and she seemed to be fairly toned. She radiated strength. "Hi, I'm Sue," she told me, before pulling me into a warm hug. "Renee, I am so, so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine. If there is anything I can do, please don't hesitate to ask." I nodded my thanks to her, and was thankful for her support as she walked me into the house. We sat down on one of Charlie's old, comfortable couches in the small living room. Sue was wrapping a thick blanket around me before I even noticed I was shivering. This place was so cold, so damp. I hated the weather in Forks, and so had my daughter. But she had stayed, I shouldn't have let her stay…

Sue was an excellent cook, and I ate everything on my plate. My first real meal in days. "Thank you Sue, that fish fry was delicious." My voice sounded off, it was so monotone. I tried to put emotion into it, so that she wouldn't think I was being sarcastic, but it didn't sound like it had worked. It didn't seem to bother her though.

"Thanks Renee. It was my husband's recipe." That took me by surprise, her and Charlie seemed like more than friends to me.

"You're married?" I asked her, I think she was happy to see me interacting with someone.

"Harry passed away a year and a half ago. Heart attack." She said gently. I was watching her face, and I saw sadness in there, but she was smiling tenderly, probably at some memory. Will I ever be able to think of my daughter again without bursting into tears, or feeling like my heart was being stomped on in the dirt? I already knew the answer, no.

It did help Sue and I bond. She didn't spend the night, but was there again first thing in the morning, making us breakfast. We spent a lot of time together on that second day. I asked her about her life, she had been married to Charlie's best friend for twenty-two years before he passed away. They had two children together, Seth and Leah, and they lived on the Quillette Reservation. Charlie had proposed to her on Valentine's Day. They were putting off the wedding, but were planning to get a bigger house in Forks once they were married. I was glad that Charlie wouldn't be alone. He really was an amazing man, just not the man for me. After a while, we started talking about Bella. I cried endlessly as I showed her the pictures in my photo albums, but found that focusing on those good memories seemed to lighten the weight pushing down on me, only a little. "This is Bella?" She asked me in a strange tone as she pointed to one of the pictures.

"Yeah, she was… three when I took this." Her thick, dark hair fell in waves past her shoulders, and her brown eyes were big with excitement, her cheeks bright red as she was smiling and waving at me as I took her photo. It was one of her Christmas visit's here in Forks, the ground was covered in snow. I looked up at Sue, and she had a strange expression on her face, I couldn't tell what it was. I think she felt my gaze, because she turned to look at me, and that weird expression vanished.

"She was a very beautiful child," she told me warmly. I nodded in agreement.

"Carlisle's flight gets in around noon tomorrow." Charlie told me that night. "We can go over around two if that's okay with you Renee."

_He'll have my daughter with him_ I thought to myself. But it wouldn't really be my daughter. She had been in quarantine, and they couldn't risk letting them fly her body. She had been cremated at the hospital. My baby was nothing but ashes and memories. I nodded once to Charlie, as fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.

I was completely exhausted by the time I went to bed that night, too tired to even fully dream. But I remembered more glimpses of Bella's chocolate brown eyes.

The four of us drove the half hour drive to the Cullen's giant house the next afternoon. I was struck again by the size of it, it was a mansion by my definition. They must hire people to come in and clean it too, it was completely spotless. I couldn't imagine how much work it would take to clean such a huge place.

Esme answered the door. She pulled me into a hug as soon as she saw me, and led us to the living room. She was wearing layers, but I was once again struck by how solid she felt. Carlisle was the same. Their children Alice and Jasper weren't back from their school yet, they would be getting in late tonight. Emmett was sitting in a big armchair by himself, his head resting in his hands. Rosalie was sitting next to Edward, with an arm resting over his shoulders. He was just staring at his hands. I didn't see any emotion in his face, he was an empty shell. I don't know how I had not even thought of him since talking to Bella. He was the one who had taken her from me, but he was also the one that had made her so happy. I was torn between despising him and being thankful for him. All those thoughts disappeared when he looked at me though, and I could now see the ocean of pain he was drifting through. I walked over to him, and sat next to him on the couch, wrapping my arms around him. We held each other for a long time, both of us in too much pain to even cry. When I let go of him, I noticed the urn that he clutched to his chest.

It wasn't a metal urn, but looked like it was carves out of a single piece of wood, a type I have never seen before. It was a warm brown color, and to me it looked the exact color of my daughter's eyes. It had been polished until it was as smooth as glass, and seemed to reflect the light that hit it. _My baby_. I rested a shaking hand on it, next to Edward's, and just cried silently.

They took care of all of the planning for tomorrow, and I was glad. I couldn't think, all I could do was sit there. Carlisle asked me if there was anything I wanted to change or add. I pulled out my photo albums, clutching them to my chest. "I brought some of our family photo albums, pictures of her throughout her entire life. Maybe we could put some of them up in the reception area?" I was getting use to the sound of my voice being so hoarse from barely speaking and crying all the time. I wondered if it would ever go back to the way it used to sound.

"I think that is a wonderful idea" Esme said gently. "We have a scanner, Emmett can go load them so that you won't have to worry about losing any of them." I nodded, thankful that I wouldn't have to give them up for long. This was all I have left of her now, memories.

It only took him an hour, and the giant boy gently handed the albums back to me. I held onto them tightly. After another hour, we headed back to Charlie's.

I didn't sleep that night, but it still seemed to pass by too quickly. I had an early shower, then passed the time doing everything I could to keep my mind and hands busy. I brushed and flossed my teeth, blow dried and straightened my hair, ironed my blouse and pants that I would be wearing. I didn't bother putting on make-up, nothing would be able to help with the scary red and swollen look that my eyes had. Before I went downstairs, I walked over to the closed door on the right of the bathroom, and opened it gently.

It was weird, but the room looked almost exactly as it had when I had left with Bella when she was only a baby. Only there was a bed instead of a crib, and an ancient looking computer on a small desk. The curtains, the walls, Charlie hadn't changed anything. I walked over and lied down on her bed. It smelt like her still. I clutched the pillow tightly to my chest, and just stayed like that for an hour maybe. By then, it just hurt too much, and I quickly left the room, closing the door behind me.

When I went down to the kitchen, the smell of coffee pulling me in like gravity, my eyes went wide at the scene in front of me. Every inch of counter and table seemed to be covered in food. Casseroles, pies, cookies, salads and sandwich platters. "Wow, are you planning on feeding the entire state Sue?"

She jumped at the sound of my voice. "No, some of these I'll have the pack take over, but these were all sent here from friends and acquaintances of Charlie's. I don't think I'll need to cook for him for another year at least."

"Pack?" Did she train dogs or something? Cesar Milan popped into my head. I thought I saw her face pale for a moment before she turned around.

"Oh, it's just a nickname that my son and daughter's group of friends picked up. They're so close, like family, thatthey kind of remind me of a pack of wolves, you know?"

_No, it sounds super weird_. "Yeah, sure." She handed me a cup of coffee, and I thanked her before taking it out onto the front porch. The rain was coming down in buckets, but that didn't surprise me. This was Forks, after all. And the rain suited my mood well. A big, old van pulled up before I was finished my drink, and four giant men walked over through the rain. The biggest one, the one in the lead, pulled me into a hug when he got close enough. I was too shocked to do anything besides stand there.

"Sorry, Renee, I'm Jacob Black. Billy's son, and Bella's best friend." So this was the boy she had told me so much about. He should only be about seventeen though; this man looked like he was in his mid-twenties. And he was huge. He introduced the other boys, Seth, Embry and Quil. I'm, sure Sue said that Seth was only fifteen, there was no way this man could be her son. But sure enough, when they went inside to grab some of the food, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. _God, what's going on here in Forks?_ I'm surrounded by eerily beautiful, hard people, and giant teenagers. I did kind of get what Sue had been talking about with her nickname though. The boys followed Jacob like shadows, waiting on his orders. It was really weird. Or maybe it was just me; I wouldn't really be surprised if I was told that I was going crazy. I felt crazy. The boy-men loaded up the van with food, and Jacob gave me another hug before they headed over to the church. I went and got dressed.

When we got there, the first ones, I was touched by how beautiful a job Esme had done. The entire alter was covered in flowers of all kinds, and there was a giant picture of Bella in the center, beside the podium. I recognised the picture, because I had taken it. I remembered it like it was yesterday. She got changed out of her wedding gown, and into a beautiful blue dress. Her hair had been unpinned, and was in beautiful waves going down past her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide and bright as I waved to her while she was walking down the stairs. She smiled at me, and I snapped a quick picture, thinking that I had never seen her looking so beautiful, and happy. My tears spilled over again, and Charlie held me as we sat down in the front pew. We were joined by Jacob, who had changed, Edward, who was a statue, Carlisle, Esme, and the rest of their children. I was happy to see so many people show up, the church filled very quickly.

There were no words capable of describing the pain I felt listening to the minister speak about life and loss. I didn't take most of it in, but certain words would pierce me, and my stream of tears never lightened. Every time I heard him say my daughter's name, it got a little more real, and even more painful. I felt like I was drowning again. Charlie and I walked up to the podium together, drawing strength from each other to try and get through this. How could I put my love for her in words?

"Bella was always very mature for her age. A lot of the time, I felt like she was playing the role of parent, always watching over me, worrying about me, keeping me safe from my own reckless ambitions..."_ I should have been the one keeping her safe._ "She kept strong, up until our very last conversation even, still trying to protect me from sadness. Even though her life was too short, I'm glad she got to accomplish so much." _Not nearly as much as she should have though .Why did you have to take her from me?. _"She found her true love, and I'm so thankful to you Edward for giving her that happiness. It's more than many accomplish in their lifetimes." _I'm thankful, but I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you._ He watched me the entire time as I spoke, and from his expressions, I felt like he could actually hear what I wasn't saying. This place was definitely making me crazy.

After Charlie had spoken, we walked back down to our seats, and we both hugged Edward before he walked up. He was just so solid.

"Bella made me a better person. She was everything I could ever want, or ever dream of having, my soul mate. A million years could never weaken the love we have for each other. I vowed to her that I would love and cherish her as long as I live, and nothing is going to change that. I believe she was the reason I was created, to be with her, and to have had and held her, even for that short amount of time, made me luckier than any man. I'm sure she is with us here even now, looking down on us and trying to strengthen us. She made it her life's mission to protect everyone she loved, no matter what the cost to herself, and I'm sure she is still doing that now. It's why she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone that she was sick, and insisted on pretending we were away for school. I just wish I could have-" He couldn't seem to speak anymore, and Esme went up and walked him back down to his seat. Some of his words struck me oddly, he was stuck in a place between using past and present tense. The minister led everyone in a final prayer. I just stared at her portrait. I wasn't religious, and neither was my daughter, but I respected those who did believe. Some people needed to believe that there was a higher power, someone to decide for them and protect them. If there was, I could never forgive him for taking my daughter's life, when she was still so very young. A parent shouldn't outlive their child.

Everyone started to migrate over to the reception hall, and I was once again impressed by the decorating. Esme had chosen the most beautiful pictures of Bella. There were nineteen of them, one for every year of her life, blown up around the room. Each was framed by different arrangements of flowers. There were large chairs scattered around the outside of the room, flush with the walls, and there was a long table in the center of the room covered in food, drinks and plates. I stood with Charlie and Edward in front of the most recent picture of her, it must have been taken on her honeymoon, before she got sick. She was sitting on the beach in a white sundress, looking more tanned than I have ever seen her. Her hair was blowing behind her as she smiled at the camera. A long line up of people formed to offer us condolences, and we stood there politely for a couple of hours, accepting and thanking them. When the line was finally gone, I walked over alone to a chair and sat down. Charlie followed after and sat next to me.

I didn't want to be here anymore. I sat there, frozen, staring into space. I don't think I even had anymore tears left to shed. I was completely empty except for the pain. I heard Charlie get up from his chair, and looked to him. "Excuse me, I'll just be a minute," he told me. I followed his gaze to Edward, who was hugging a beautiful, blond woman. I followed him. What was Edward doing, hugging this woman at my daughter's, _his wife's_ funeral? It seemed to last too long to be to be one of condolence, and Edward wasn't a very touchy person. "Edward? Who's this?" I heard Charlie demand. When the woman turned around, it looked like he had stiffened, but I couldn't be sure. I was looking at the child she was holding up on her hip.

"Hello Chief Swan, my name is Elizabeth, this is my daughter Vanessa. We're friends of Carlisle's. My deepest sympathies for your loss." Her voice was smooth and musical, and no one could deny that she was extremely beautiful. Her long, blond hair went to her mid back, but she had dark eyebrows, and her eyes were ice blue. There was something in her face that stirred something in my mind, but I wasn't paying attention to that, nor did I hear what Charlie said to her. The little girl was watching me also.

"Renee, I am so sorry for what you're going through." I looked away from the girl to concentrate on her face, to figure out what was so familiar, but I couldn't. I looked back to child again. Her eyes were the exact same as Bella's, the ones that have been drifting through my dreaming mind the past week. She looked so much like my daughter when she was young, though her hair colour was different. _This is what Bella's daughter would have looked like_. But she would never get that chance. She would never be a mother, and I would never be a grandmother. This new pain was too much, and I found new tears to shed. I couldn't stop or quiet my sobs. Phil was by my side, and walked me back down to a chair and held me.

I couldn't wait for this day to be over, but at the same time, what would I have left when it was done? Only memories.

We stayed with Charlie for a few days after the funeral. It was hard to bring myself to leave her last home, like if I left, I would never be able to come back again, and the memory of her would disappear. It was too painful to stay though, and we were on a plane home in a few days. Being away from Forks didn't make anything easier. Everything I saw reminded me of her. I was lost in my own mind. I knew that Phil was worried sick about me, but I couldn't find the strength to comfort him. I couldn't watch TV, read, or even bring myself to eat. I noticed that my clothes were starting to feel loose on me after the first week, but didn't care. All I could manage to do was sleep. I did a lot of that. My dreams were filled with images of my daughter, laughing and happy like the last time I had seen her, holding the beautiful child that the strange woman had been holding. I woke up crying every morning. I couldn't live like this.

Phil had to go back to work, and the silence his absence created was too much for me. By the time the sun had set, I couldn't make myself stay in the house any longer. I couldn't live in this world any longer.

I walked down to the beach with my daughter's ashes. It was deserted and dark, just like my life. I walked into the ocean until the water was up past my waist, and just stood there, letting the warm wind caress my face and play with my hair. I'm sorry that I will be hurting Phil, but he will understand someday that it was just too much to live with. "I love you, Bella," I whispered into the night.

"I love you too, Mom," A musical voice whispered from behind me. I would have screamed if I had had the strength to. I turned around, and standing in front of me, in the water, was the woman from the funeral. Her hair was no longer blond, but so dark brown that it almost looked black. Her eyes were no longer blue, but a strange shade of gold, with a bit of orange it seemed. I could see it now, in the shape of her mouth, and the structure of her face, what had been so familiar. She was so different, but still the same in some sort of way. How had I not recognized it before? I closed the space in between us with two strides, and wrapped my arms around her. Despite the heat, her skin was ice cold, and her body was as hard as stone. Just like Esme and Edward. I could see the similarity in her eye color to theirs as well, but none of that mattered.

"You're alive," was all I could whisper. We held each other for a few minutes, and she walked be back up to the shore. Edward and the young girl were there as well. I could immediately tell that she was there daughter, but how was that possible? She looked a little older than three. There was something strange about her though, she was much thinner than any toddler I have ever seen, her features more adult-like, her hair too long and thick for her age, and I saw so much understanding in her eyes. Bella picked her up when we got close enough.

"Mom, this is Renesmee. Your granddaughter." She told me proudly. The little girl held out her arms to me, and I took her from Bella. She was very hard, but not as hard as Bella. She was also quite heavy for such a tiny thing, but I didn't say anything about it. We looked into each other's eyes, and I felt my face mirror the breathtakingly beautiful smile that spread across hers before I hugged her tightly. I had already forgotten what it was like to smile.

"Momma named me after you and Grandma Esme!" she told me in a musical, happy voice. The sound melted away the last bit of pain in my chest. She didn't talk like a three-year-old either, but I still didn't care. How could anybody go from losing so much, to having everything they've ever wanted? I looked up to my daughter and Edward, who were holding hands and watching with smiles on their faces.

"Bella, I don't understand any of this." I told her, almost laughing. I felt like I was in a dream, maybe I was.

"I'm sorry, Mom. What we did, the funeral, we had no choice."

"You know there is something different about my family, Renee. You've always known. But we are governed by a force that prevented us from telling you, or anyone what had happened. For the safety of our family, we had to go with the story that Bella had died."

"We can't give you many details, for your own good, but I couldn't let you hurt yourself. I love you Mom, so, so much."

My mind was spinning, but I would gladly take the knowledge that my daughter was alive, and happy, without question. "What has changed in the last week that you were able to tell me now though? Couldn't you have told me _before_ the funeral?"

"At that moment, we couldn't." Edward said, "But because of a shift in power, we feel safe in bending the rules, just this one time" he finished, while looking at my daughter with a proud look on his face. "But we need you to keep this secret at all costs. Will you be able to do that?"

I didn't even hesitate. "Yes, of course." I would do anything to protect my Daughter and Granddaughter, even if that meant pretending they didn't exist.

We spent the night together, just sitting on the beach talking. There were lots of things they couldn't tell me, but we never ran out of things to talk about. Renesmee fell asleep in my arms, and it warmed my heart to see what an amazing mother my daughter had turned out to be. The three of them were the picture of perfection and happiness. They told me that they didn't know if they would be able to see me again, which was hard to hear, but my gratefulness overpowered the sorrow in that. Knowing that she was alive was all that was important, and I felt I could now continue going in this world, always carrying the picture of the three of them together in my mind.

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you that have read this far into the story! And an extra big super thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed! You guys make my day :) !  
I had wanted to keep the story in between Bella and Renesmee's view, but I got a lot of requests for something from Renee's POV. This was for you guys, and I hope you enjoyed it :) Take care! – Kitty xox**


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.**

**Chapter 21  
Bella**

Alice called us before we got into the airport. She had seen that Renee's path had changed, and that she was going to try drowning herself in the ocean tomorrow night. Edward was able to easily hear her, even though the phone was pressed up against my ear. "Please, we have to stop her" I pleaded to Edward. "Alice, what can we do?" She would know what would be able to work to change my mother's mind.

"I'm sorry Bella, I don't know. Even if we call to have someone stop her, she'll try something else. I can't _see_ anything."

Edward stared deep into my eyes, and it was a moment before he spoke what he was thinking. "What if… we were able to see _just_ her? Maybe it would be enough if she were only able to see Bella once to ease her mind."

"We don't even need to tell her the truth, she just has to know that I'm not really dead." I finished for him. We'd tell her that we would probably never be able to see each other, a final good bye, but hopefully easier to live with than my actual death. "No one else would need to know, I think we can prevent the Volturi from ever finding out."

"Carlisle and Esme agree, but I still can't see anything. We give our consent; we don't see the Volturi ever wanting to attack us." Edward and I nodded to each other at the same time. Alice told him what flights we would need to take. We returned the car, and were on a flight to the United States within one hour. We arrived in the morning, and had to catch a quick transfer flight. It was the middle of the afternoon when we got to Phoenix, and the sun was in full force. We were trapped in the Airport. The sun would set at a quarter after nine, and we had to reach her before eleven-o-three. It would be tight, needing to avoid attention.

I was just stepping into the water when I heard her whisper into the wind. I was fairly sure she didn't hear my approach. "I love you too, Mom" I whispered back to her, loud enough for her to hear. When she turned around to look at me, I felt a sharp pain where my heart used to beat. Her face looked thinner than a week ago, her eyes bloodshot and vacant looking, until I saw a flicker of hope, and knew that she really believed it was me. She closed the distance in between us with two long strides, and we held each other there in the water for a while, I memorized her scent.

It was oddly dream-like, that night we spent on the beach with my mom. Renesmee and her adored each other, and I was so happy that they were able to meet. She had a difficult time looking away from me, and she didn't seem to mind that we couldn't answer so many of her questions. When Phil came walking down the beach in the early morning looking for her, we had to leave before he noticed us, but my mom was smiling when we left her. A weight that I hadn't been completely aware of, one that had been with me since before my wedding, was lifted off of my shoulders. My mother knew that I was happy and safe, and I wouldn't ever have to lie to her again.

Alice called us again not long after, Edward answered this time, but I could still hear everything she said. Renee was going to be fine, and she didn't see any harm coming from the Volturi. The only problem was that the sun was coming up, and would be there to stay for the next fourteen hours. Not a cloud in the sky today, and I found myself missing Forks. We couldn't make it to the airport, but did manage to find a nice hotel. I saw Edward slip the receptionist an extra hundred when she said check-ins weren't until after four, and that seemed good enough for her. We were in our suite before the clock hit seven. The day passed by quickly enough, my husband and daughter both had so many questions about my life before Forks. Edward's questions were about memories he had seen through my mother's mind, and it seemed to me that Renesmee had been holding in questions about her grandmother for months.

At ten, the sun was set and we were on our way back to Forks. Alice and Jasper were waiting for us at the Seattle Airport, no car though. Our bags had been shipped to the house two days ago, and I was happy for the opportunity to run. Renesmee rode on Alice's back, and I'd bet she was filling her in on everything that had happened. There was a light drizzle out, but no one seemed to mind. It was nice to be home.

When we got back to the main house, Jacob was sitting in the rain on the front steps. His hands were gripping tightly onto his hair, and there were big black circles under his blood-shot eyes. It didn't look like he'd slept once in the week that we were gone. As soon as he heard us, he sprang to his feet and dashed over to Renesmee, pulling her off of Alice and crushing her in an embrace. I'm pretty sure I saw a tear run down from the corner of his eye. "Nessie, I missed you so much" I heard him whisper to her. She leaned back and put both palms onto his cheeks. Edward shook his head and walked inside while they caught up, but I couldn't seem to look away from them.

I could always tell, from the first moment I saw her with my new eyes, that she loved Jacob. It bothered me at first, but over time I grew to see that she looked at him like a big brother, an uncle, or her and her mother's best friend. How long would it be before she realised that it was so much more to him? And what would happen then? It hurt me to cause Jacob pain still, and if this was what happened to him after only one week, what would it do to him when we moved away? Jacob looked up at me then and smiled, and I felt like something twisted in my chest. I smiled back to him, and was glad for how much my acting had improved over the last half year. I felt an arm drape over my shoulders, and knew from his scent that it was Jasper before I looked up at him. He turned us around and led me into the house after Jake and my daughter. They sat on the couch together in the living room, but Jasper led me upstairs.

"It really bothers Edward that I can't tell what you're feeling better than he can most of the time" Jasper said with a light chuckle. I thought about how hard it must be for Jasper to be around me sometimes, my emotions were still a mess most of the time. My wave of guilt was quickly washed away by calmness and content, and he winked at me. This friendship was really something that I hadn't expected, but Jasper and I were becoming quite close. Even my relationship with Rose was still growing stronger, and I really did feel like they were all my brothers and sisters now, something that I'd never had before. We went up into his and Alice's bedroom, and he went and sat beside her on her bed. I sat down on the thick white rug on the floor. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Just worrying about future complications."

"When are you going to tell him about the move?" Alice asked me. Jasper didn't look surprised by this, and I guessed that Alice had told the family already.

"I don't know. I think it would be better for him if we wait until our plans come together more. I just want to let him be happy for now."

They both agreed with me, but I stayed with them for a little while longer. Jasper wanted to show me some of the new DVD tutorials he had gotten with Alice while we were gone. His excitement was contagious, and I was feeling a lot better when I went back downstairs. I came back into the living room at the same time that Rose, Emmett and Stark got in.

"Stark!" Renesmee shouted. She jumped off of the couch and ran over to give him a hug. He lifted her up and spun her in a circle.

"Hey shorty!" He half-laughed out. "I'm glad you're back! The house was really quiet with you gone" He told her. "Rose and Emmett finished my room though, wanna see?" She nodded and they ran downstairs together. I was curious, so I followed too, but not before I saw a dark look on Jake's face, but I chose to ignore it.

They had really done an amazing job. The walls were all a light grey colour, and the floor had thick, white carpet. There was a giant, navy blue, twin-sized bed against the back wall, and all around it were black cubed shelves filling the wall. He had a TV and PlayStation 3 in one corner, and a black-stained oak desk with a new laptop on the other. A few things on his shelves caught my attention. A few small wooden boxes that looked very old and used, a rusty hunting knife that looked extremely sharp, a folded, worn-looking blanket, and a slightly faded picture in a new frame. Stark noticed my gaze.

"Emmett and Rose took me back to my cabin. We buried my mother, and brought back some of our things" he told us in a sad voice. It would have been at least a couple weeks since his mother was murdered, and it broke my frozen hear to think of what he must have gone through. Before I had noticed that I'd moved, Stark was in my arms and I was holding him. He hugged back, and I felt a tear drop onto my shirt.

A few weeks passed, and we all found ourselves falling into a comfortable routine. Carlisle and Esme were the only ones who ever went into town, him to work, and her to buy groceries and run errands. Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper were all thought to be back at school, Edward was pretending to be a shut-in, and I was pretending to not exist. Charlie would come over to visit every Monday and Thursday after work since we couldn't risk going to visit him. We didn't get bored being restricted to the property and woods though. Edward and Esme gave lessons to Stark and Renesmee for two hours every morning to substitute for school, and I found myself sitting in on all of them too. No knowledge slipped through my new, prefect memory. We weren't surprised to learn that Renesmee was further along than Stark, but he was still a quick and eager learner. After that, Jasper and I would fight for a couple hours, which was still a big source of entertainment for the family. We were pretty evenly matched now. Emmett would join in every now and then also, but it was really fun when Edward finally volunteered to fight. It was something Emmett had been waiting long to witness, and he wasn't disappointed. Edward hasn't beaten me once yet, but he still seems to enjoy trying. In the afternoons the kids would be working on their homework, and I would read books from Carlisle's library while Edward supervised them. I found myself getting really interested in health sciences and biology, and was even considering taking some online courses, but hadn't told anyone yet. Every evening Esme or I would cook dinner for Stark, Renesmee didn't seem to mind meat too much, and would try at least a bite of it most nights. The night I cooked steak, she ate almost a third of one. She liked it extremely rare. Rose taught me how to do an oil change and replace the tires on my Ferrari, I helped Esme prep her garden beds, and I'd lose at least one game of chest with Alice every day. Emmett taught me how to play poker.

When Renesmee would go to sleep, Edward and I would spend the nights alone together in our cottage. I didn't think it would be possible, but I found myself falling in love with him more every day. He was such an amazing father and husband. Things were so much better between us now. He had come to terms with the fact that we were equals, that I wasn't the same person I was before, a human to protect, and so did I. Knowing that I had now made my family safer than any other gave me a new sense of strength and confidence that I've never had before, and I think Edward liked the new, self-confident me even more than the old me.

A whole month passed by, and I actually started to feel like my life was normal again. Well, as normal as it could be anyways, and I liked it. Stark and Renesmee became best friends. They would argue a lot, but it was never serious, and always ended in laughter. Even Jacob seemed to be getting used to having him around, the jealous looks he shot at him were quite rare now.

Renesmee's growth rate had stayed constant that month, and Carlisle was almost certain that it would stay the same. It was a mystery that we all wanted solved, and we began planning our trip to the Amazon to visit Nahuel. Our party would be eleven in total; the entire family, which now included Stark, and Jacob. Leah would be taking charge for him, and extending their protection over the rest of Forks and our properties. We weren't sure how long we were going to be gone, but we told Charlie that we were going to visit some family friends down in Brazil, and that we would be gone for a few weeks.

Carlisle, not to my surprise, turned out to own a boat that was docked in Port Angeles. Well, that is what they told me anyways, and then Esme showed me a picture of it on her computer. It looked like it was three floors high, but they told me that there was a fourth floor in the hull. It had five bedrooms, a full bathroom, and a sitting area that could also be used as a sleeping room. By my definition, it was a yacht. Renesmee was ecstatic about the travel plans, and I could tell that Jake and Stark were too. By the end of the second week of April, we were all packed into Emmett's Jeep and Carlisle's Mercedes. Luckily, Jasper, Edward, and Emmett had ran all of our luggage over that night, because there was no way we would have made it there in only two cars otherwise. I sat crammed into the back seat of the jeep with Jake and Edward, and Renesme sitting on my lap. It was probably a good thing, because I don't think the seat belt would have stood a chance against her bouncing. My arms were much stronger. I found myself wondering during the drive if Edward used to get overexcited like this when he was a child, because she definitely didn't get it from me.

The drive was quick, and the weather was perfect. We knew it would be though, Alice had managed to see some of our trip down around Renesmee. We would be traveling by boat for nine days, only being able to fuel up on certain ports at night times. We were confident that we would be fine though, having Jacob on hand if we needed a human to deal with any problematic situations that our appearances might cause. He was excited to learn how to drive the yacht. Today, there wasn't a drop of rain, but a perfect, thick layer of smooth grey clouds.

The pictures hadn't done the boat justice. It was smooth, perfectly spotless and white with chrome detailing. The main floor, the deck, was absolutely beautiful. Three quarters of its length had a floor of smooth, polished dark wood, with the controls in the front with a small bar, and white luxurious leather benches running down both sides, and across the back end. The center of the floor was a railed off area that had the stairs running to both the upper and lower floors. The front quarter of the boat had a small, smooth chrome rail around it, but you could step over it and lounge on the front of the white deck. Below was where the kitchen, bathroom and one bedroom were, and on the top two floors were the other four sleeping areas. Renesmee, Jacob, and Stark were the only ones that really needed a bedroom. Renesmee was on the top floor, the room next to her we were using as a storage room for everyone's luggage. Jake and Stark were on the floor below her, and we turned the room on the bottom floor into a game/TV room.

Jake's mouth had popped open when we stopped in front of it, not believing we were at the right one. His gaze followed Edward as he unlocked the gate blocking the boarding ramp, not blinking as he watched him walk up. "_This_ is the boat we're taking?" He exclaimed. Edward just smiled at him. "This is _not_ a boat. It's a floating mansion! How much does it even cost to fill the gas tank?"

"Hmm… About two thousand I think," Rose replied absentmindedly. That was more than I would have spent on my old truck in a year.

"Wow. I am never going to get used to how rich you guys are," Jake whispered to himself, shaking his head.

The six of us arrived first, and it was another ten minutes before the rest of the family got there. Stark's reaction was very similar to Jacob's, but he didn't comment. Carlisle was starting up the boat within five minutes, and within half an hour the dock was barely visible. This boat was built for luxury, not speed, but by early afternoon, we exited the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and had hit the Pacific Ocean. We had to stay out of high trafficked areas, and as soon as the coast went out of view, the sun broke through the clouds. Everyone was moving about, settling in to keep busy, but I just climbed over to the front of the main deck, and lied down along its smooth, white surface. I could hear Alice shuffling around the suitcases on the top floor, Carlisle explaining controls to Jacob, and Edward, Renesmee, Jasper and Emmett going over maps together. I closed my eyes, enjoying the heat of the sun shining down on me. It wasn't Forks, but I felt that as long as our family were all together, anywhere could feel like home.

**Hey guys! Just a note, I wasn't exaggerating about the cost of the gas tank. My uncle bought a big boat similar to the one I described a couple months ago, and that is how much it costs to fill the tank. It's a pretty ridiculous boat in my opinion. I would be happy to own a canoe. Please leave a review! They really with writing ideas :) Thanks for reading, and take care! -Kitty**


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own the characters or material of this story, they are property of Stephanie Meyer.**

**Chapter 22  
Renesmee**

I woke up to the hot sunlight pouring in through my windows. It only took me a second to remember where I was, and I dashed out of my bed towards the windows. This room definitely had the best view on the ship. If I looked down, I could see the glass front of the windows slant smoothly down to the white nose of the boat, and all that surrounded us was the dark blue water of the Pacific Ocean in all directions. The pale blue sky was dotted with small, puffy white clouds. I got dressed quickly and ran down to the main deck, running straight into Stark when he walked out of his room, half asleep. We crashed and fell to the ground, and he landed on top of me. Jacob was ripping open his door a second later.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jake shouted at him, while he grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him up into the air. Jake was the tallest person I'd ever met, so it seemed pretty high.

"It was just an accident Jacob! I ran into him and knocked him over!" Jacob's tanned face had taken on a shade of red I hadn't seen before, and I was actually scared for Stark. He was wide awake now, and looked even more furious then Jake did. I didn't really understand what was happening, but it looked like Stark's skin was starting to steam, and he started to glow, like he was filled with a bright white light. In a spilt second, there was a loud CRACK and Stark's clothes dropped to the floor, empty.

Now, there was a giant brown falcon, the size of one of Jacob's massive arms, flapping his wings around Jacob's head, screeching at him and pecking at his face. I burst out laughing, and felt my face turning red when I couldn't seem to breathe. Jacob's arms were flailing around, and he started running in small circles in the fairly narrow hallway. When he dropped down to the ground, the bird flew back into Stark's room and slammed the door. I couldn't say that I'd ever seen a bird slam a door before, and the thought made me laugh even harder. It was a few minutes before I was able to breath properly again, and Stark came back out of his room wearing another set of clothes. I threw him the ones next to me on the ground, and he threw them into his room. Jake shot him a furious glare. "Are you okay Nessie?" he asked, not looking away from Stark. I nodded, and he went back into his own room, slamming the door behind him. Stark and I walked down to the main deck together.

"I'm sorry about that, and for running into you." Jake was very protective of me when it came to my safety, he was even worse than my parents, and I'm pretty sure the first thing my father told me when we came onto the boat was not to run on it. I wasn't sure why he was so worried, I could swim well, and even if my skin wasn't _as_ hard as theirs, I still doubted anything on this boat could hurt me. I've never had a scratch in my life; the only thing that had ever hurt me was Jane's power. Stark is different though, and I didn't even know if he could heal like Jake could. He was in really rough shape when we met him, but I left for a week only a day later. When I saw him again, all of the scrapes on his face had healed. I could have hurt him, and it made me feel really guilty. I promised myself that I would be more careful. He stopped on the last step in front of me, and turned around to face me. He flashed me a devilish smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Don't worry about it Nes, I had wanted to do that for a long time. I should be thanking you for the opportunity," he said while winking at me. I couldn't help but giggle, I knew that it wouldn't be nearly enough to hurt Jake.

"That was really cool though! I've never seen you shift before," I told him with a smile. He had avoided answering my questions about it when we met, and I didn't want to make him uncomfortable, so I didn't push on the subject.

"Oh yeah, you guys were in Italy when I showed the family. It's cool, but not something I really go out of my way to do." He didn't seem to mind talking about it at all, and I relaxed.

"Does it hurt? How long can you do it for? What else can you change into?" I remembered hearing him say that Jake smelt like a dog because it was the only thing he could change into.

He chuckled. "Not at all. My body goes completely numb when it happens, and I can stay in the form for as long as I want to. It starts to mess with your mind after a while, like a few days, but I've never gone for that long before. And I can change into pretty much any animal; I just have to know what it looks like. Birds are my favourite; flying is the most amazing feeling in the world." Stark and I were so close, and almost always together. Hearing all of this only now, something that that was such a big part of his life, I felt like he didn't feel the same way.

"That's really cool," I said, trying my best to smile. I went to walk around him, but he gently caught my wrist.

"Nes, what's wrong? What did I say?"

I was too embarrassed to tell him. "Nothing, don't worry about it." I tugged my arm, but he didn't let go. I turned around to look at him, and concentrated on not letting the tears in my eyes spill over.

He pulled my hand to his cheek gently, "Please, tell me what's wrong." It was rare that I ever used my gift with him; it always seemed to make him uncomfortable. But with my hand touching his face, I couldn't stop my thoughts from drifting into his mind, and I didn't want to pull away. I saw understanding when he figured out the reason, and a very gentle look took over his expression. "Nes, you are my best friend, the best friend I've ever had. I'm so sorry if I made you believe otherwise, it's just hard to talk about. It makes me think of my mom so much, we would always shift together, and I just haven't had the desire to change since she died."

I could understand that, and we walked onto the deck smiling together. Stark went below deck to grab something to eat. "What was all the commotion about?" my mom asked me. I jumped up into her lap and showed her what happened with Jake and Stark, she laughed pretty hard too. Stark came up and sat with Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett, biting into an apple.

It felt really strange, being in the brilliant sunlight on the open sea, relaxing with my family. I was so use to having to hide from sunlight with them, and it was rare that we ever had a sunny day like this at home, where we were always surrounded by trees. The boat was a little crowded, but still comfortable. All of my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, and my dad were sitting on the main deck, still as statues. I knew they could all sit like for as long as they wanted, and wondered how they didn't get bored. They were all looking off into the distance, except for mom. She was leaning over the side of the boat, and staring into the water below. She always kept so busy, constantly immersing her attention on _something_ back home, and it seemed like she was the only person bothered by the lack of activities here. I copied her to see what she was watching, but I couldn't see anything besides the waves. "What are you looking at, Momma?"

"Can't you see them? There are dolphins under the water," she said with interest. At the mention of dolphins, Stark spun around to look also. Neither of us had seen any in person before and stared hard into the deep water, but we still couldn't see what my mom could. I placed a hand on her neck to show her my frustration.

My father walked over to the controls, and sped up the boat. We had been keeping a leisurely pace to conserve gas, but I quickly discovered his reasoning. After a few minutes, I heard a giant splash and went over to the white deck on the front of the boat, my mom and Stark right behind me. There were maybe five dolphins in total, now racing our boat, swimming more closely to the surface and jumping out of the water every few minutes. They were so graceful, like they were flying instead of swimming, entrancing to watch. After fifteen minutes though, my dad dropped the speed back down to normal, and they once again disappeared beneath the surface.

Aunt Alice gave Stark and I our lessons that day, and would continue to do so for the trip. Just short ones, hour-long lectures about the areas we would be going to, since Jasper and her were the last ones in the area. As usual, mom sat through them with us, but Jacob joined us too, wanting to learn more about the areas we'd be traveling. We didn't have to take notes or anything this time, it was very informal and I found my mind wandering. I had learned more than a lot from my friends Senna an Zafrina. They were the only people I could completely share minds with, being able to use our gifts in very similar ways, and it shaped our friendship into a very unique one. They felt like sisters to me, and I couldn't wait to see them again. I didn't want to show off, but I already knew most of what Aunt Alice talked about. It made me embarrassed that I already knew all of these things that all these older people didn't, so I remained quiet. I was already bored by the end of the first day, but not as obviously as my mother was. Dad and Jake spent the last half of the afternoon teaching her how to work the controls of the boat, while I played videogames with Stark. When I went up to go to bed, she was lying on the front of the boat with dad. I could see him pointing up to different spots in the sky, and I looked up.

I had no words to describe what I saw; it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Without a cloud in the sky, and being so far from any light pollution, I had never seen the stars like this before. I don't think even all of vampires in the world together would have been able to count all of them. The sky wasn't black, but shades of different blues, silvers, even violet and orange as the Milky Way cut across the sky, and almost every minute I would catch a shooting star streak by. I'm not sure how long I stood there looking up, but Grandma surprised me by lightly laying a hand on my shoulder. She smiled, draping a comfy quilt around me, and carried me over to my parents. I fell asleep nestled in between them on the front of the deck, listening to the smooth sound of my father's voice naming the magical stars above us.

The next two days passed by peacefully. I quickly adapted to my surroundings, but could tell it wasn't as easy for my mom. She didn't seem actually stressed, but I don't think she enjoyed relaxing like the others did. She liked being busy, and I overheard her having long discussions with Grandpa quite frequently. She hadn't brought any books, but he had brought work along with him. She seemed really interested in what he was doing, and it was obvious that he was thrilled in teaching her about it. It seemed boring to me, and I was curious to why it appealed to her so much. "Momma, do you want to be a doctor like Grandpa?" I asked, showing my curiosity to her as I spoke the words to emphasize my meaning.

She seemed really surprised by my question, and took a quick minute to think before she answered quietly, like she was trying to avoid being noticed. An impossible thing to do on a boat filled with vampires. "I really like the fact that medical sciences are continuously changing and developing. There is always something new to learn about it, and it has such a long, intricate history. I find the research entertaining, I guess." I noted that she didn't actually answer my question, but I knew she was uncomfortable being in the spotlight, so I didn't push it. She had Grandpa's interest though.

"You've been doing research Bella? When did this start?"

"Just a couple months ago, I was looking for some new reading material. Renesmee's growth rate was always… in my mind, and I started reading some of your biology text books to compare to human anatomy. It just kind of branched out from there… I really like reading, and it's a lot easier to retain all of the information now, you know?" He smiled and nodded in understanding, but from my mother's shifting gaze and the quiet tone of her voice, I think he noticed how uncomfortable she was, and went back to explaining the report he was working on. I noticed more easily after that how often my mom would go to him with very random questions though, and that he was trying to retain his excitement that one of his children was showing interest in the same profession.

Most of my other free time I spent with Jacob and Stark. My two friends were so similar, but refused to realize it. To me Stark seemed like a younger version of Jacob, they had the same strong, independent personalities. For some reason though, they just didn't seem to enjoy the other's company, but I could tell they were putting in an effort on our trip to keep a calm atmosphere; neither of them really spoke at all when the other was near.

On the third night of our voyage, it was my mom who steered the boat to shore, close to the border of Mexico, to fuel up. I saw the lights of the cities before I saw the land itself, and by the time we docked you could barely see the stars because there was so much light pollution. I had taken a nap earlier, and was excited to do some exploring. My mom, Jacob, Stark and I went off to explore the town for a while, and Aunt Alice, Rose and Grandma went to do some shopping. Both of the guys were hungry, but didn't understand any of the names of the food, and didn't know what to buy. My mom's Spanish was pretty good, and she brought them to a small food cart and ordered them something called Tamales, ensuring them that they would like them. When their food was done, she was handed a large tray with plate covered in small cylinder-like shapes that were wrapped in what looked like large leafs. Jake and Stark seemed to like the smell of them, but I didn't. I did laugh though when my mom had to intercept Jake's first bite, telling him that he wasn't supposed to eat the leaf part. They both liked them so much that they ended up ordering another tray to take back with them, and we walked around the small town for another half hour. We stopped at a few small shops, and in one of them my mom bought me a beautiful woven bracelet covered in different bright colors, and got sombreros for Jake and Stark. The sounds were a lot to take in after three days of the silent ocean, and I was glad when we were back out on the water. It was another four days before we docked again in Nicaragua. We had to stop during the day, Aunt Alice telling us that we would only have a two and a half hour window of cloud cover, so we weren't able to do any exploring of the area while we were there. Grandpa said we would be stopping in another day and a half, where we would be leaving the boat at a harbour in a town on the coast of Ecuador.

I think it was the anticipation of being so close to the end of our voyage that made that last day go by so slowly. My mom learned how to do something really neat with her shield though, just out of boredom I think. She was leaning over the side of side of the boat again, and was able to pick up spheres of water with her shield, then popping them with her mind when they were up in the air. She got really good at it in just a few hours, and when Stark jumped off the boat, she was able to pick him up and float him back onto the deck. Aunt Rose was furious with him for that, yelling about sharks that could have been in the water, and he didn't do it again. He never called her mom, nor did anyone expect him too, but I knew that he looked to her like an adopted parental figure. He had shown me a picture of his real mom, who had hair just like Rose's that made them look really similar, and I think that comforted him.

The morning of our last day on the water, everyone was busy packing their bags and cleaning up the boat. Everyone but my mom and I had hiking pack-like bags to carry their things in, since we would be traveling by foot. My dad had the largest one, carrying both of our things, because my mom would be carrying me. I know the weight wasn't an issue for him, but I still felt guilty. "Don't be silly Renesmee, I don't mind at all," he reassured me.

The town we landed in was named Daule, a place mostly known for growing rice. It was sunny when we docked, and Grandpa had to talk Jake through the process of dealing with the paper work with the harbour master, as he could not go himself. It was late afternoon before we were able to set out on foot.

I was a bit worried about the seemingly large population when we entered the town, but it didn't end up being a problem. We were only in public for about fifteen minutes before we reached the first small river we would be following, and from there we were able to stick to thick forests. I had worried that it would be difficult to travel with Stark, but it was actually quite entertaining. He would shift in between forms of all the new, beautiful type of birds that we came across in the area, and when he got tired he would perch on my shoulder to ride with my mom and I. We ran until midnight, and set up camp in the dense woods. Jacob and Stark were racing to see who could set up their tents first, but Uncle Emmett did mine for me in about a minute. Once everything was set up, we went out in shifts to go hunting.

My mom, dad and I went together, and I'm glad they were both with me, because I had to admit that this foreign, dark jungle scared me a bit. My mom let me go first, watching to make sure I didn't get hurt as I took down an Anaconda, before my father and her each took down their own close by. When she left for her own dinner, I felt the air ripple around me and knew I was protected by her shield. We had seen a few Jaguars on our way, but they were so beautiful, I couldn't even think of hurting one of them. I fell asleep before we got back to camp, and slept peacefully with a full stomach.

It was another two days before we reached the Amazon River, and another half day after that before we entered the Amazon's territory. I recognized their scent immediately when we crossed it, and it wasn't long after that they found us. I was glad to see their happy faces when they saw us, relieved that we were welcome. They weren't exactly up to date with technology, so we couldn't call ahead. I jumped off of my mother's back, and no one stopped me as I ran over to my friends. Zafrina caught me in one of her extremely tight hugs, and was joined by Senna and Kachiri. Kachiri and I hadn't gotten to spend much time together before, but she had been a constant in all of our conversations and I felt like I already knew her. Once we broke apart from our embrace, she looked down at me. "Nessie, you have gotten so big! But not as big as I thought you would be. It is so wonderful to see you again" Zafrina said in her thick accent. She welcomed by family, remembering Jacob and being really happy to meet Stark. They told him that they have met a few of his kind over their lifetimes, and were immediately interested in him. They invited all of us to their home.

It was exactly like the images Zafrina had showed me before of course, but it was completely different seeing and being able to feel it this time. There were four Kapok trees that they had planted in a triangle, with one in the center, but that was around two hundred years ago. This small grouping of trees had grown and twisted together, and it now towered over the rest of the rain forest. Its base was about as big as half of a basketball court. There were no stairs, but we were surrounded by thick vines that had grown into the lower branches and hung down, almost touching the ground in some places. They were so thickly grown in though, that it looked like a deep green curtain, cutting out our view of the upper branches. I have climbed lots of very tall trees back home, I loved doing it, but nothing even came close to comparing with this.

My mom smiled at the excited look in my eyes. "Do you want to climb yourself? Or would you like me to carry you?" I wasn't sure if she was going to let me, and I jumped up and down in delight before stopping to hug her, showing her my excitement and appreciation. "Okay, you go first. I'll be right beneath you if anything happens." I ran over and gave Jake a hug. He was going to stay down here and watch the perimeter_. I'll come back down soon and show you everything_, I told him with a big smile.

He grinned back at me. "Take your time Nessie. I'm looking forward to checkin' out the area before setting up camp. This forest is _amazing_." I had to agree with that. I loved this hot temperature, and all of the different types of tropical plants that I'd never seen before. And so many different animals! There were so many new smells, and I was even able to identify some of the scents from my memories of the day at the zoo.

I tugged hard on one of the vines, then hung on it for a moment to test its strength, like Zafrina told us too. Not all of the vines could support much weight. When I was sure that it would do, it only took me a minute or two to climb up to the green ceiling. I had never climbed a rope before, and it felt kind of strange when the vine kept moving as I climbed, but it didn't make it difficult. After there, the branches were closer, and I was able to climb like I usually did. My mom and I stopped halfway up though. It was a breath-taking view. All that surrounded us was the deep green canopy of the treetops going as far as I could see in all directions, and above the sky was a spotless bright blue. Not too far in the distance though, I could see a wide break in the trees that I knew to be the Amazon River. Looking above through all of the branches, I could kind of make out the circular platform around the centermost trunk of the tree that I knew to be their house.

I went to jump to the next branch, but didn't put enough force into it, and missed it by only half an inch. There was a quarter of a second that I was shocked into silence, then I screamed as I felt my body falling towards the ground. After only a second and a half though, I felt myself stop as I hit a smooth surface. Opening my eyes, I looked around to see I was surrounded by nothing, but by putting my arms out I could feel that I was inside my mother's shield. She slowly drifted me down into her arms, where she was still standing on the same branch. I hugged her tightly, shaking. "Shhh, Renesmee, you're alright. I got you." I heard a howl from below that I knew to be Jake. "She's fine Jacob! Just a little slip" she shouted down to him below. I knew he heard her words when he barked back. After a minute, she shifted me over to her back, and she climbed the rest of the way up in a minute, where everyone was waiting for us. Stark had flown up as a beautiful blue and yellow feathered Macaw that he had seen yesterday, and it hadn't taken the rest of my family nearly as long as me to make the climb. My dad would have seen what happened through my thoughts, and he was already reassuring everyone that I was fine.

The small house was amazing, like something out of a fairy tale. It was circular, and the paneling was made out of smooth, polished wood that seemed to flow into one large piece, that was broken only by three openings evenly spaced apart. They didn't have any doors, and a two-meter long porch wrapped around the entire house. When we went inside, I noticed that they had some branches going up through the floor and out through the walls and ceiling, the biggest going straight up through the center of the room. The others were made into beautiful, handmade shelves that broke up the area into partial, open rooms. One of the spaces was piled with all kinds of different animal pelts, some made into large pillows, which is where they led all of us to sit. Hanging from the ceiling were all sorts of hand-woven baskets filled with different things, and I noticed that they had carved all sorts of small cubbies into the center pillar, that were filled with different colored candles. The entire house was a piece of art. Once everyone was settled in, it was time to tell them why we were here.

The Amazons were also intrigued by the change in my growth, but couldn't give us any more information than that Kachiri believed Nahuel's mother was in her early thirties, and that they had never met Joham, or any other of the hybrids besides Nahuel when they were in America. Their guess was the same as ours in thinking that we should look for him where Alice had found him last, which was closer to the east coast of Brazil. It would be another three or four day journey perhaps, and we accepted their offer to stay with them the night, and promised that we'd come back before we returned home.

I went back down with my mom afterward to check on Jake. Her way down was a lot more fun than the way I would have had to take. I clung tightly onto her back, and she just jumped. I don't know how she was able to miss all of the branches, but none of them hit me one the ten-second drop. She landed lightly on her feet, absorbing all of the impact with her legs, so there was no jolt when we hit the ground. Jake was having himself a little barbeque, sitting in front of his tent on the mossy ground with a nice fire burning. I went and sat on his lap, and showed him how amazing their home was in the tree top. I also showed him when I missed the branch, and how my mom had caught me with her shield so quickly. He also though it was very cool. My mom told him about what they had discussed, and where we would be heading tomorrow. It was getting late by then, so we said goodnight to Jake, who was now putting out his fire before heading to sleep. I was a little worried about him being down here alone, but at the same time, I knew no animal in the rain forest would stand a chance against my giant wolf.

Mom carried me up this time. Not because I was afraid, I was just tired, and we were back in the tree house in less than a minute. They had lit all of the candles in the center of the room, so the house was filled with a soft, comfortable glow. I knew it would be more than enough light for vampires, they didn't need them at all, but they also didn't bother me and I fell asleep quickly.

**Hey guys! Once again I would like to thank all of you for reading this far into my story, and a special thanks to all of those who have left reviews, and followed or favoured After the Break of Dawn. It means so much to me, and I love hearing your comments and ideas. I also find that they really help me to keep the story going. Take care!  
-Kitty**


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